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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24042280">In the Most Unlikely of Places</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>JaidenAnimations, adam ortiz - Fandom, james rallison - Fandom, somethingelseyt, theodd1sout - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Animation, F/M, Jaidenanimations - Freeform, Originally Posted on Wattpad, Romance, VidCon, YouTube, hope it doesn’t flop, i noticed there’s not a lot of somethingelseyt works here, odd1sout - Freeform, so i’m posting mine, somethingelseYT - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 16:14:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,879</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24042280</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>somethingelseyt fanfiction|| On a quiet street in the shadow of the night, two people meet in the most unlikely of places.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>adam ortiz/oc, james rallison/jaidenanimations</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. zero</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hi! thanks for clicking on this story. just wanted to let you know that this story is already published on wattpad with quite a few chapters. i'm going to be posting chapters here one by one, so if you'd like to read ahead, i'm on wattpad with the same username, wannabeefree. i will inform you when we're all catched up, but i will always be posting on wattpad prior to here. cheers!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center"><p>-</p><p>On a quiet street in the shadow of the night,</p><p> two people meet in the most unlikely of places.</p><p>-</p><p>adam ortiz (somethingelseyt) is a real person i don't own him don't sue me</p><p>olivia promengale is my character she is not a real person don't sue me</p>
<p></p><div class="center"></div></div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. one</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i have learned,,,, it is very hard to work the html codes,,,,</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a quiet London night; the street was eerily still with only the occasional drunk group of friends or a squirrel here and there. If you listen closely enough, you may hear the muffled beats of pop music ringing out from a bar.</p><p>In said bar, a girl sat alone in the corner booth with a half empty beer in one hand and earbuds in her ears. Her head rested on the palm of her other hand and her red rimmed green eyes- the right being covered by a swish of brown hair- bored into the old, wooden table. She was oblivious to anything going around her- all that was in her mind was the music in her ears, the beer in her hand, and the fresh grief in her heart.</p><p>She brought the cup to her lips another time and downed the rest of the drink. She grimaced; she never liked beer, but she didn't trust any of the other drinks. God forbid whoever decided to name a drink Zesty Lemon Punch or Screaming Sour Grape. She set the empty cup down next to the other two and dropped her head into the crook of her elbow. She knew the table must be very dirty, but she couldn't bring herself to care.</p><p>She felt a tap on her arm and looked up. It was the bartender, collecting her empty beers and giving her a sympathetic gaze. She took out an earbud and mumbled a "thank you."</p><p>"Would you like another one?" the bartender asked, although he seemed hesitant about it. The girl only shook her head and offered a weak smile. He offered one back and left her alone to sulk in her own little world. Her head fell back into her arms as though keeping it up were the same as lifting a thousand tons. However, only a few minutes later, she felt another tap on her arm. She groaned, took out her earbud again, and shifted her head to look at the bartender and say no, I don't want another drink, I'm fine, leave me alone-</p><p>Except- no, that's not the bartender. She was pretty sure the bartender was a darker skin tone, and he definitely wasn't wearing glasses and didn't have any facial hair. Though, she was pretty tipsy, and wouldn't be surprised if she had already forgotten what he looked like.</p><p>"Can I helphh you?" She slurred into her sweater sleeve, making her almost impossible to understand. The side of the stranger's mouth quirked up for a split second before he coughed awkwardly to the side and met her gaze.</p><p>"I uh, was sitting over there," he said, surprisingly, in an American accent, "and I saw you sitting here, and uh, you looked kinda lonely- I mean! I hope that's not offensive or whatever, cause I was also kinda lonely, so I decided to- uh- come over here and- um."</p><p>The girl snorted. In her half delirious state, the thought that there was a stranger from a slightly shady bar asking- or, attempting to ask- to sit with her was dangerous just never crossed her mind. Besides, after that stunning performance, she doubted he was going to do anything bad.</p><p>The stranger scratched the back of his neck as his cheeks slightly warmed up. "What I meant is, can I sit here?" He nodded towards the seat across from her. She nodded, and repositioned her head so that her chin rested on her forearms. As she waited for him to settle himself, she realized that she definitely looked like a mess. Her hair was tangled and in her face. Her eyes were swollen and red and she had tear trails running down her cheeks. She made the small effort to wipe her cheeks and nose before ultimately giving up and resting her chin down again. She looked up to the stranger's brown eyes and they shared a few seconds of awkward silence.</p><p>He coughed again. "So, uh, my name's Adam."</p><p>"Olivia."</p><p>"That's- that's a nice name! Uh." Olivia quirked an eyebrow. She knew that if she wasn't tipsy, she would probably be in the same predicament that Adam was in. However, she is indeed tipsy, so she thought it would be okay to silently laugh at him.</p><p>"So, what are you doing in a bar at," she glanced at her phone, "2:48 in the morning?"</p><p>"I couldn't sleep. I'm really jet lagged right now. I decided to go for a walk, but I got lost, and I didn't buy a sim card, so I couldn't call anyone. I came into this bar in hopes that it had internet connection, but it doesn't so I'm just kinda stuck here. You?"</p><p>Olivia had momentarily forgotten about her sorrow, but now it all came rushing back. Her eyes dropped back down to the table and she let out a defeated sigh.</p><p>"I was dumped after a four year relationship. Turns out she was having an affair with one of my friends." Adam's eyes widened a little and he grimaced.</p><p>"Oh. Sorry for prying, I didn't mean to-"</p><p>"No, issokay. It's nice to talk with someone." He relaxed and put his head down on his arms to meet her gaze.</p><p>"That actually happened to me, once too. My ex girlfriend was cheating on me with my best friend." He frowned. "Thinking about it now, I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided to associate with them. They were kinda asshole-y."</p><p>Olivia chuckled. "Asshole-y. Look at us- just two people who's asshole-y girlfriends cheated on them with their asshole-y friends." They shared another laugh. Olivia looked at her phone and cursed when a reminder popped up.</p><p>Vidcon tomorrow!</p><p>Adam looked at her in concern. "Is everything okay?"</p><p>Olivia groaned and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, I forgot I had an event thing I was gonna go to tomorrow." She had another realization and put her hand over her eyes, leaning back in her chair. "And now I have an extra ticket because I was dumped. Great." She peeked through her fingers and looked at Adam.</p><p>"Uh, do you want it? It's for Vidcon." </p><p>Adam laughed awkwardly. "Actually, I'm already going. My friends and I are featured creators." Olivia's eyebrows shot up.</p><p>"Oh. I wasn't expecting that. What are your names?"</p><p>"SomeThingElseYT, JaidenAnimations, TheOdd1sOut, LetMeExplainStudios? Ever heard of them?"</p><p>"No, I don't think so. I don't really watch Youtube, the only reason I was gonna go was- you know, my girlfriend." She sighed. "Can I still get a refund? And, which one's you?"</p><p>Adam seemed bashful. "SomeThingElseYT. And, probably not. But hey, you should still come! You know, see me embarrass myself. Vidcon's always pretty fun."</p><p>Olivia smiled. "I'll think about it. But if I am gonna go, I should probably get some sleep."</p><p>"Yeah, probably." They smiled at each other for another second before Olivia picked her head up.</p><p>"Oh, you don't have a way to call your friends, right? Here." She unlocked her phone and handed it to Adam. He gave her a grateful smile and dialed in a number. A few seconds after, his friend picked up.</p><p>"Hey, James? Yeah, it's me. I uh, got lost. Yes, I know, shut up. I'm at, uh, Brandy's Bar. Okay, thanks bye!" He ended the call and handed the phone back to Olivia with another smile.</p><p>"He's gonna send an uber. Thank you so much, Olivia. I owe you one."</p><p>"No problem! You don't owe me anything; thanks for making me laugh. I was really having a shitty day." They both stood up, Adam with a lot more grace than Olivia. Only now could she see that Adam was taller than her by a few inches.</p><p>"So," Adam drawled, "how are you going home?"</p><p>"Oh, I'm- I'm just gonna walk. I don't live far." She looked towards the door, but a bout of dizziness hit her. She stumbled backwards, but Adam was quick to catch her. "Or, maybe not. Thanks. Again."</p><p>She righted herself and leaned against the table. "I'll just wait it out. I didn't realize how drunk I was." Adam looked at her in concern.</p><p>"Are you sure? I can walk you home."</p><p>"It's okay. Besides, your ride is gonna be here soon."</p><p>"No, don't worry about it. I walked quite far, it'll probably be a while before it gets here. It really won't be a problem."</p><p>Olivia narrowed her eyes at him to stop his face from spinning. However, she soon gave up and relented. "Fine. But I owe you one, okay?"</p><p>Adam grinned. "Owe it up to me by coming to Vidcon?"</p><p>"Deal."</p><p>"Lead the way."</p><p>Adam and Olivia started towards her house slowly; Adam held her by the crook of her elbow to make sure she didn't trip or fall. They talked about little things throughout the walk, although fatigue was slowly catching up to Olivia and soon, they fell into a comfortable silence.</p><p>After what seemed like only a minute, they arrived at the front of Olivia's apartment at about 3:20 in the morning. Olivia begrudgingly pulled herself out of her newfound pillow and turned to Adam.</p><p>"Thanks. Sorry for, uh, leaning on you so much."</p><p>"It's okay. Do you need me to help you up?"</p><p>Olivia smiled. "I think I can manage that."</p><p>They stood there for another minute, neither really wanting to leave. Finally, Olivia spoke up again.</p><p>"Well then. See you tomorrow, maybe?"</p><p>"Yeah. Tomorrow." Adam gave her one last lingering gaze, a wave, and finally, he turned and left. Olivia stood there for another second before heading up to her apartment.</p><p>Once she got to her floor, she fumbled with her keys at the door and finally collapsed in her bed when she got in. She laid in bed, half asleep, before realizing she never got Adam's number. She opened her phone to see if she could find him on instagram.</p><p>What was it? SomeThingElseYT?</p><p>However, she didn't get far. Once she unlocked her phone, her recent phone calls shone in her face. There were her parents, a friend, her ex, an unsaved number, and-</p><p>Adam?</p><p>She pressed on the "I" on the side and it opened to his info. All it had was his name and a little note- "Your friend from the bar :)"</p><p>She softly snorted and decided to send him a text.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>Hi its oliviqa drom the s bar

</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i></i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i></i>
  </p>
  <p>YOu sneaku littlw shit

</p>
  <p><i>Tjank ypu goofniht</i>  </p>
</div><p>
  <b>:)</b>
</p><p>
  <b></b>
</p><p>
  <b></b>
</p><p>
  <b>Goodnight!</b>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>**i would like to mention that the "vidcon london" i mentioned  isn't completely factual. i'm pretty sure adam isn't actually featured, and with the whole pandemic going on right now, it might even be cancelled. so, anything vidcon related i talk about will most likely be fictional. **</p><p>that took way too long to write. like, five hours too long for 1689 words (it took six- but to be fair, i wasn't writing the entire six hours). If anyone does end up reading it, thank you! and how was it? It's been a really long time, so i'm probably rusty. i really appreciate any feedback or criticism, so please do tell me if you spot any mistakes. cheers!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thursday started with the morning light shining through Olivia's eyelids and a killer headache.</p><p>She groaned, pulling her blanket over her head in search of some relief. Her throat was scratchy and her lips were chapped. She was completely miserable.</p><p>The sound of a thundering drill digging its way into the concrete definitely didn't help her case.</p><p>Olivia wallowed in self pity for another minute and finally forced herself upright. She pried open her eyes but immediately recoiled when she felt how completely dry they were. Her headache returned at full force, making her wince. Why did she ever think it would be a good idea to drink again?</p><p>She stumbled towards the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She took some advil from the bathroom cabinet and shuffled to the kitchen for some water. After downing the medicine and the whole cup of water, she felt marginally better and her mind finally cleared. She set her cup down on the island that outlined her open kitchen and took in her surroundings for the first time since Hailey left.</p><p>Their- or, her apartment didn't seem familiar anymore. The couch was void of any shirts and the spot next to the tv was missing the little plant that usually sat there. The bookshelf next to the big window that Hailey was always so fond of seemed empty without the stacks of books or the pictures of just two girls living their lives. The little miscellaneous toys and stuffed animals were gone and the house seemed dull. Olivia's guitar still sat next to the couch, but the little ukulele that always accompanied it was nowhere in sight. With the absence of so many things that used to bring the living room to life, Olivia's piano stood out like a sore thumb.</p><p>She also realized that now she lived by herself, paying rent is going to take a toll on her bank account.</p><p>Olivia shook her head and steeled herself to any more grief. She already spent a whole night sulking, and she wasn't about to keep going.</p><p>Besides, she had an event to go to and a new friend to meet up with.</p><p>She left her empty cup and empty heart behind her and went for a shower.</p><p>~</p><p>After freshening up and eating a small breakfast of cereal, she threw on a maroon jumper and a pair of skinny jeans and checked her phone for the first time since waking up. She had three text messages from Adam and one from Hailey. She decided she was allowed to be petty and ignored her ex's message, going for Adam's instead.</p><p>
  <strong>6:03AM</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Good morning!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Send a text when you get to vidcon</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>See u there :)</strong>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>7:43AM
</i></p>
  <p>
    <i>

gm
</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>
will do
</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>
see you
</i>
  </p>
  <p><i>
what am i looking for</i>
  </p>
</div><p>
    <strong>[Adam sent a photo!]</strong>
  </p><p>
    <strong>Wbu?</strong>
  </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
      <i>[You sent a photo!]

okok cool cool</i>
    </p>
</div><p>
      <strong>Oh just a heads up I'm probably gunna be really busy so sorry if you can't  find me or if I have to disappear at times</strong>
    </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
        <i>don't worry about it

i think i'll be fine
</i></p>
  <p>
    <i>
probably
</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>
okay i gotta start making my way over
</i>
  </p>
  <p><i>
bYE</i>
      </p>
</div><p>
        <strong>Lol okay bye</strong>
      </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>bit of a shorter chapter today, around 550 words. i was going to keep going, but i decided to end it here or the chapter may have ended up being over 2000 words long.</p><p>how is it so far? again, i really appreciate feedback, so if you see any mistakes, it would be really great if you could point it out to me :&gt;.</p><p>thanks for reading, and cheers!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>just a heads-up i've never actually been to vidcon cause i'm broke so i'm making everything up lmao</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After telling the taxi rider her destination, she made herself comfortable in the taxi seat and pulled open her phone. Still stubbornly ignoring the little red notification on the messages app, she opened instagram and typed in "somethingelseyt" into the search bar. She tapped on the first account that popped up- its profile picture was of a little character with horns and a red hoodie- and to her surprise, she was onslaught with many close up pictures of the man she met early this morning. Olivia grinned and followed the account. She scrolled through the posts, stopping at one that showed Adam playing the guitar. She put in her earbuds and tapped on it.</p><p>She immediately recognized the familiar tune of Happier by Ed Sheeran. What she wasn't expecting, however, was for Adam to start singing.</p><p>And holy shit, she most definitely was not expecting the voice of an angel to leave his lips.</p><p>She watched the video two more times as if in a trance. Is that what he does on youtube? Because she can totally see why he's a featured creator if it is. She snapped out of her trance and decided to search him up on youtube. To her surprise once again, she saw many of the same devil-horned-sweater-wearing character. She decided to watch the first video that showed up, which was titled with something relating to a sick day. Adam's familiar voice emanated through her earbuds. She found that the whole video was animated.</p><p>So, he's an animator.</p><p>She decided to put her phone away before her car sickness hit and spent the rest of the car ride listening to her music.</p><p>~</p><p>Olivia arrived about 20 minutes later. She paid and thanked the driver before heading to the entrance. Although she was quite early, there was already a good amount of people in the building. She took in her surroundings, and seeing a coffee shop, headed over and sat down. She took out her phone, still ignoring Hailey, and texted Adam.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>8:19AM</i>
  </p>
  <p>hey</p>
  <p>
    <i>i've arrived</i>
  </p>
</div><p>Knowing that Adam will probably be quite busy, she ordered herself a drink and relaxed there for a little while. After a few minutes, her phone vibrated in her pocket.</p><p>
  <strong>Oh great ok</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Where r u?</strong>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>uh</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>some coffee shop near the main entrance</i>
  </p>
</div><p>
  <strong>Yeah I know what ur talking about</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I can come over if u want</strong>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>if it's not too much trouble?</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>sorry i would probably get lost lmao</i>
  </p>
</div><p>
  <strong>Lol its ok</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I'll be there in a few</strong>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>thankks</i>
  </p>
</div><p>
  <strong>:))</strong>
</p><p>Olivia resumed scrolling through her phone, though now she was slightly more anxious. When they first met, she was drunk. She was more let loose and easier to chat to. Now that she's completely sober, her whole dump of insecurities have resurfaced.</p><p>With every second that passed, she became more and more nervous and soon her eyes weren't focusing on her phone and her ears weren't listening to her music anymore. She was in her mind with thousands of swirling self-doubts and tons of regret.</p><p>Oh god, he's gonna hate me.</p><p>"Olivia!"</p><p>She snapped her head up and met a pair of eyes looking right at her. The owner of the eyes- who, Olivia realized two seconds later, was Adam- was jogging over to her table.</p><p>"Fuck."</p><p>Adam slowed to a halt, looking thoroughly confused. "What?"</p><p>Embarrassment made its way up Olivia's cheeks as she registered in her brain that she had cursed out loud.</p><p>"Oh-um-" She fumbled to stand up, tripping on her chair and jolting her earbuds out as she did so. Adam's hands shot out to help her, but she caught herself. She awkwardly held her phone in both hands, letting her earbuds dangle, and gave Adam a sheepish smile.</p><p>"Hi."</p><p>"Uh, hi! Are you sure you're not still drunk?"</p><p>"Hey! I- actually, I probably deserved that."</p><p>Adam chuckled. "Are you okay? You seemed distracted before."</p><p>Olivia snorted. Understatement of the year. "Yeah, I was just thinking."</p><p>"About?"</p><p>"Stuff."</p><p>"Alright, whatever you say."</p><p>Olivia took in what Adam was wearing. It was exactly like the picture he sent her earlier this morning- a red baseball hat, a red hoodie that said "Common Sense", a pair of jeans and sneakers. He also had a few lanyards hanging around his neck. </p><p>Olivia looked down and shuffled her feet. "So, what now?"</p><p>Adam thought for a moment. "How about we go to the expo hall? There's a lot of cool stuff there."</p><p>Olivia looked back up. "Sure, why not." She noticed two girls pointing in their general direction behind Adam's shoulder. Soon, they started walking quickly over. "You can lead the way, but I think there might be some people looking for you."</p><p>Adam tilted his head to the left. "What?"</p><p>Olivia gestured vaguely behind him. He turned a second before the girls were going to tap his shoulder. Startled by how close they were, Adam took a step back and knocked into Olivia. He quickly spun around and gave her an apologetic smile. Olivia shook her head in understanding and took a few steps back so the girls could have their moment.</p><p>Adam turned back around. "Hey! How can I help you?"</p><p>The girls' eyes lit up in recognition and excitement. The one with purple hair spoke up. "Adam?"</p><p>"That's me!" </p><p>The other girl with a pixie cut let out a huff of awe. "I'm- We're really big fans," she said in a quiet voice. "Can we get a picture?" She handed him her phone.</p><p>Adam took it immediately. "Yeah, of course! How about we take one with both of you, and then one for each of you?"</p><p>The girls nodded in agreement. They posed for a selfie, but Olivia could see that Adam couldn't really get a good shot. His eyes darted to her, and she silently asked if he wanted her help. His eyes brightened and he turned to the girls.</p><p>"Hey, I can't really get both of you in the shot. Do you mind if my friend takes the picture for us?"</p><p>The girls look at Olivia for the first time. They scanned her up and down, observing and trying to see who she is. Olivia hunched into herself, feeling very self-conscious. Finally, they nodded and Adam handed the phone to her.</p><p>Olivia stuffed her own phone and mess of wires in her back pocket. The three stood together with Adam in the middle. Adam lightheartedly told them to pose, making a silly gesture himself, and Olivia snapped a photo. Then she took pictures of the girls separately with Adam and handed it back to them when she was done. The pixie-cut girl thanked her and took her phone back. After signing some things and a few hugs, the girls left with a spring in their step.</p><p>Adam walked next to her and watched them go with a smile on his face. Olivia turned her head to look at him. "So, that was a thing."</p><p>Adam turned his head as well. "Yeah. I love meeting fans, they make my day."</p><p>Olivia smiled and grabbed her bag. "Well then. Expo hall?" Adam nodded.</p><p>"Expo hall."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>4.5.2020; 1:42am (i'm gonna start writing what time i started and finished a chapter for future reference)</p><p>i told myself i was gonna write but then i got carried away watching wax sealing videos ✌️😗</p><p>oh also adam uploaded and i watched it like five times (also also sub to somethingelseyt2 thurnis is so cute)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They made their way to the expo hall, Olivia trailing behind Adam as she took in her surroundings. By now, the place started to fill up with people. Lines formed everywhere and security guards seemed to appear out of nowhere. However, even with the mass amount of people, the venue was huge and Olivia couldn't contain her wonder.</p><p>"Pretty neat, huh?" Adam piped in, breaking her out of her thoughts. Olivia turned her gaze to his, giving him a content closed-lip smile and a nod. He returned it.</p><p>"So, expo hall. Last year when I was here, there was a lot of cool stuff." He laughed to himself. "Most of it was free, too."</p><p>They soon arrived at the expo hall. Lanes upon lanes of booths were lined up, all with their own colors and themes. The place was already quite crowded with fans and content creators alike. However, within a minute of walking into the hall, Adam had already gained a mass of fans asking for signatures and pictures. Not before long, a line had formed and Adam was left sheepishly greeting fans and Olivia left standing awkwardly to the side.</p><p>Adam noticed Olivia not knowing what to do and told the fan in front of him to wait for a moment. They nodded in understanding, and he jogged the short way to Olivia.</p><p>"Hey," he said. "Sorry about that. Maybe expo hall wasn't the best idea. I really wasn't expecting so many people to know me since last year there really wasn't a lot, which is, you know, fine, but I could walk around just fine and I'm so sorry that I can't-"</p><p>Olivia cut him off with a laugh. "No, it's okay! I can explore by myself, thanks for bringing me here. You go make those people happy." She playfully pushed him on the shoulder. By now, the fans were noticing the mystery girl talking to Adam and started pulling their phones out. Adam gave Olivia a grateful smile and started walking backwards to the line.</p><p>"Okay, have fun! I'll text you when I'm done!" Olivia gave him two thumbs-up and started making her way to one of the booths. However, she didn't get far. She felt a tug on the bottom of her shirt and she turned around to a little kid wearing a baseball hat that said "Common Sense" looking up at her at curiosity.</p><p>"Uh," Olivia started. "Hi?"</p><p>The kid blinked. With no remorse, he stated, "Are you Adam's girlfriend?"</p><p>Olivia spluttered. "No, I'm- I'm just a friend! Uh-" Jesus, where's this kid's parents?</p><p>As if Jesus himself heard her plea, a woman with frantic eyes sped-walked over. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said when she arrived, putting her hand on the boy's shoulder. "I hope he didn't say anything offensive? He tends to run off when he gets excited." The poor woman looked frazzled and extremely apologetic.</p><p>Olivia laughed it off nervously. "Don't worry about it, he's fine." The woman gave her an uneasy smile and headed off, scolding the child as she did so. Olivia let out a breath she was holding and continued her way to the booth she originally wanted to go to.</p><p>~</p><p>After some time of exploring and collecting cool-looking-but-free items, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Assuming it was Adam, she picked up and held her phone to her ear. "Hello?"</p><p>"Why've you been ignoring my texts?"</p><p>Olivia froze in her tracks, making the person behind her bump into her. She apologized, but felt her anger rise.</p><p>"I'm sorry, I thought you wanted nothing to do with me." She walked to the side of a booth to avoid blocking anyone's path.</p><p>"Don't put words in my mouth! I've said no such thing-"</p><p>"Oh, will you get to the point already?" Olivia spat. "I don't have time for your bullshit."</p><p>"Okay, okay! Jeez. I was just gonna say that I took my Vidcon pass with me. I know you paid for them, so I left the money on the bedside table in our room. If you bothered to check my texts, I wouldn't have to make this damn phone call."</p><p>Olivia paused, dread filling in her chest. "You're at Vidcon?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah? I was the one who wanted to go in the first place, remember? Why?"</p><p>Olivia swallowed but didn't reply. "Um, hello? Why do you care?" Hailey paused. "Oh, shit. You're not at vid-"</p><p>Olivia cut her off and hung up. Her heart was beating wildly and she was filled with panic and dull pain. The breakup was still a fresh wound and she was completely not ready to face Hailey again. She pressed the heel of her palm into her forehead and groaned. Before she could sulk any longer, her phone vibrated again. This time, she checked the screen and confirmed it was a text from Adam.</p><p>
  <b>9:49AM</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Yo I finished</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Security came and dragged me backstage lol</b>
</p><p>
  <b>U wanna come?</b>
</p><p>
  <b>I mean u don't have to</b>
</p><p>
  <b>U probably wanna keep exploring the hall</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Theres a lot of cool shit and stuff</b>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>yeah i got a lot of cool shit and stuff</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>but uh i think i'd rather not stay here anymore</i>
  </p>
</div><b>Oh did something happen?</b><div>
  <p>
    <i>no i'm fine</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>actually ykw i'm not</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>i got a call from my ex and she's here</i>
  </p>
</div><b>Oh yikes</b><div>
  <p>
    <i>yeah</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>but it's whatever i probably won't see her</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>hopefully</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>am i even allowed backstage?</i>
  </p>
</div><b>Yeah u should be fine</b><p>
  <b>But I think u probably need someone whos a creator to bring you backstage</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Okay I just messaged my friend Jaiden and she's about to head backstage</b>
</p><p>
  <b>She's down with bringing u here</b>
</p><p>
  <b>If ur down</b>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>are you sure it won't be a bother</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>she probably has more important things to do right</i>
  </p>
</div><b>No shes totally fine with it!</b><p>
  <b>Shes really chill u 2 will probably hit it off</b>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>okay fine</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>where should i meet her?</i>
  </p>
</div><b>Shes at her booth rn do u know where it is</b><div>
  <p>
    <i>ye</i>
  </p>
</div><b>Just meet her there</b><div>
  <p>
    <i>okay</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>sorry if im being annoying</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>ik i've stuck by you like most of the time i've been here</i>
  </p>
</div><b>Nono it's all good</b><p>
  <b>I'm the one who convinced u to come in the first place remember</b>
</p><p>
  <b>No need to be sorry</b>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>oka</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>okay</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>thank you</i>
  </p>
</div><b>Anytime :)</b><p>Olivia put her phone away and quickly made her way to the JaidenAnimations booth, looking around in caution instead of wonder. Soon the booth came into view and she sighed in relief. However, she realized that she didn't actually know what Jaiden looked like, and she bet Jaiden wouldn't know what Olivia looked like either. Once she got there, she started searching for- well, she didn't know what she was searching for. Just as she was about to pull out her phone to text Adam, a girl in a purple hoodie with messy, wavy brown hair and bangs started walking up to her, looking unsure.</p><p>"Um, hi," she said. "I saw you looking around, so, are you Olivia?"</p><p>Olivia nodded, feeling herself loosen up at the girl's kind tone. "Yeah, that's me. I'm assuming you're Jaiden?"</p><p>Jaiden nodded, playing with her Vidcon pass. "It's nice to meet you! You wanna head backstage now?" Olivia agreed as Jaiden put up her hood.</p><p>When she was met with Olivia's questioning gaze, she shrugged. "Just in case. It's not much, but I don't wanna be mobbed right now." Olivia nodded in understanding and followed Jaiden backstage, making small talk as they walked.</p><p>Once they got there, Olivia was hit with the sense of wonder again. "Backstage" turned out to not actually be behind a stage, but a big hangout room with really cool purple lights and many sofas and chairs.</p><p>"Woah," Olivia mumbled. "I wasn't expecting that."</p><p>"Yeah, it's pretty cool." Jaiden scanned the room. "Look, there's Adam and James," she said and pointed in a direction. The two girls started walking towards them, and not before long, the boys spotted them and started excitedly waving. It made Olivia smile and Jaiden laugh. The three youtubers immediately started joking around. Olivia, who had known Adam for barely a day felt like she was intruding on their moment.</p><p>Soon, James turned his attention to Olivia. "Hi! Olivia, right? I'm James. Adam won't shut up about you." Adam scoffed and playfully pushed James over. Adam's cheeks seemed slightly redder, but the purple light didn't allow for great visibility.</p><p>However, Olivia could definitely feel her own cheeks warm up.</p><p>Jaiden and Olivia sat down. "Adam called me with your phone last night, right?" James asked. Olivia nodded, and he immediately took out his phone. "I'm gonna save your number," he explained. Olivia took out her own phone and saved his number as well. "Can I call you Oli?"</p><p>Olivia winced. "Actually, I'd rather not." After debating whether or not it was too early to start sharing personal problems, she decided that she had already told Adam and it really wouldn't matter if his friends knew as well. "My cheating ex-girlfriend used to call me that."</p><p>James and Jaiden let out sympathetic breaths. "She sucks," Jaiden declared, handing her phone to Olivia so that she could put her number in. "How about Liv?"</p><p>Olivia shrugged. "Sure."</p><p>After exchanging numbers, Adam pulled all of them into a group chat, which he humbly named "Adam is the best".</p><p>They chatted for almost an hour. Olivia fit into the group perfectly, and it was like they were friends for years. They shared social media accounts and followed each other. Olivia learned that James used to work at Subway and that Jaiden played piano. The girls started bonding over different piano pieces and Adam joined in with his knowledge of guitar and loop pedals. Soon, they were in a full blown conversation about music, to which James piped in with, "Uh- I have a trumpet?"</p><p>They learned that Olivia was really into music and wanted a career down that path. She majored in music performance and got her college degree, but currently works at a bookshop because finding a job in the music industry was a lot harder than she originally presumed it would be. And now that she lives by herself, paying rent would be a lot harder and she would have to work more hours at the bookshop and have less time to search for job opportunities. James agreed that it was hard to find a job and even finding a job at a fast food restaurant was difficult for him.</p><p>Soon, their conversation was cut to an abrupt stop when a Vidcon moderator came over and told them that the animation panel will start soon. However, she looked at Adam and told him to get ready, because his show is before the panel. Adam suddenly looked nervous but excited and told the moderator that he'll be ready soon. He waved goodbye to his friends and started running off. James and Jaiden cheered him on as he left.</p><p>"He has a show?" Olivia asked.</p><p>"Yeah," James explained. "Last year he came out with a song and he's performing live for the first time. He's really talented though, and the song is really good so I'm sure he'll be just fine!"</p><p>Jaiden nodded. "We really wanna watch from the front, but we're not allowed to do that so we have to watch from behind the stage- it's a really bad view. I would watch with the audience if I were you, but you can come with us if you wanna."</p><p>Olivia considered her options. "I'll watch with the audience. Though, I should probably start heading there now or I won't get a good seat."</p><p>James's eyes lit up. "Actually, let's go get you a full access pass. It's like a vip pass. You're our friend now, and we wouldn't want the security to not let you into some of the private youtuber people places."</p><p>Olivia frowned. "Are you sure that's allowed? I mean, I'm not a creator or anything so I really don't think-"</p><p>Jaiden laughed and pulled her along. "Don't worry about it! The Vidcon people really don't care since you're our friend. Come on! We have to hurry or we'll be late."</p><p>They made their way to the closest Vidcon staff they could find, and true to Jaiden's word, they happily replaced Olivia's pass with a full access one. James told Olivia how to get to the theater where Adam is performing, and they parted ways and promised to meet up after the animation panel. Olivia soon found the theater- the doors were open and the Vidcon staff were allowing people in. Olivia was about to go to the back of the line, but the Vidcon staff saw her pass and told her that she didn't need to. She felt guilty about cutting in front of so many excited fans, but went in and sat down three rows from the front.</p><p>Soon, the whole theater was filled with people. When she looked back, there were people standing since there weren't enough chairs. Olivia felt a tinge of guilt, but mostly, she felt happy and strangely proud of Adam for creating a platform for himself.</p><p>Soon, a presenter- probably a youtuber Olivia didn't recognize- appeared on stage. The audience immediately started cheering. When they died down, the presenter started speaking into the mic.</p><p>"Hello everyone!" they said enthusiastically, tucking a stray piece of hair behind their ear. To Olivia's surprise, it was actually someone who was from her hometown. After spending most of the day with people from America, she had gotten used to their accents.</p><p>"So, I actually met this person earlier this morning," they started, "and he's legitimately one of the most down-to-earth people I've ever met." They paused.</p><p>"He also really knows his stuff about music." Someone in the crowd whooped, making the presenter smile.</p><p>"Okay, I won't ramble anymore, you all obviously know who I'm talking about. Without further ado, please welcome Adam from SomeThingElseYT!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>4.5.20; 6:31pm</p><p>that was such a long chapter omg (about 2200 words) hope you enjoy!</p><p>this took about five hours to write (i wrote most of it after i went to sleep; i wrote like two sentences at 1am lmao) and i blame that on my attention span that's comparable to the attention span of a goose. again, if i made any mistakes or if you have any questions, be free to tell them to me!</p><p>chchchccheers!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>4.9.20; 2:43pm</p><p>my dog shat on the floor help</p><p>also there's a gay slur in this chapter (f*g) just a heads-up for anyone who needs it :&gt;</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The crowd cheered as the presenter walked off stage. When Adam came on stage with a guitar in his hands and a nervous smile on his face, the audience went wild. Olivia found herself cheering and clapping along. Adam approached the mic and adjusted it so it pointed towards his mouth. He waited for the crowd to quiet down, and when they did, he finally spoke.</p><p>"Uh... hi?"</p><p>The crowd started cheering again. Adam laughed, the sound carrying around the theater. "Woah, okay. Thank you! I haven't even done anything. Sweet. You guys are the best. I'm Adam, from SomeThingElseYT. But you already know that cause I've been introduced already. Right." He chuckled sheepishly, but it was barely heard over the clapping and yelling.</p><p>He fiddled with his guitar. "So! How has your Vidcon experience been so far? Good?"</p><p>The audience hollered in agreement.</p><p>Adam's eyes scanned the crowd. "That's great! Mine's been pretty good too. You know, seeing you guys, free stuff, meeting new people." His eyes met Olivia's, making her cheeks feel hot. Adam's smile widened, and he looked away. He leaned closer to the mic and repeated "free stuff." Laughter filled the theater. Adam's eyes shone, and he was positively beaming under the spotlight.</p><p>"Okay, uh, I've never really performed anything in front of an audience, especially one this big. So yeah, I'll admit I'm- I'm pretty nervous."</p><p>Everyone yelled words of encouragement.</p><p>Adam chuckled. "Thanks. Even though I'm nervous, I'm going to try my best to put on- put on a great show for you guys!"</p><p>Olivia cheered as loud as she could.</p><p>"Okay, so I recently came out with a song, called 'I'm Something Else'. I have another song, called 'Help', but I'm not completely happy with that song. I'm probably gonna redo it. So, naturally, when Vidcon asked me to perform something, I chose 'I'm Something Else'. Now, I'm gonna stop rambling, feel free to sing along, do whatever, and uh, enjoy the show!"</p><p>The crowd applauded him once more as he plugged his guitar into the amp and gave it a test strum. The sound echoed through the theater quickly before he muted the sound with his hand. He gave a quick nod to seemingly no one and the music started. Adam started strumming his guitar, adding another layer to the music. Not before long, words tumbled out of Adam's mouth like smooth liquor.</p><p>Having never heard the song, Olivia's mouth dropped open in shock as everyone else around her chanted along with Adam. Each syllable flowed out of his mouth with ease, and though it was a fast song, every word was enunciated well and not rushed at all. Soon, Olivia found herself and closed her mouth. She tapped her foot along with the beat and laughed when he sang the chorus. She snorted when Adam almost cursed and caught himself just in time. When the song finished, the audience cheered and hollered louder than they ever have. Adam thanked them profusely, and waved goodbye as he walked off the stage. As soon as he disappeared from view, the presenter from before walked back on stage, praising Adam's wonderful performance.</p><p>"That really was something else, huh?" They joked. "Okay, that was bad, I'm sorry. Now, Adam might have just left the stage, but do not fret! He will be back for the animation panel, along with TheOdd1sOut, JaidenAnimations, and LetMeExplainStudios!" The room boomed with applause as the presenter jogged off stage. Olivia took out her phone.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>10:57am</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i></i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i></i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>bruh</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>what the fuck</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>i wasn't expecting that</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>that was bloody amazing holy shit</i>
  </p>
</div><i></i><p>
  <i></i>
</p><p>
  <b>Stop that ur gunna make me go on stage with a red face</b>


</p><p>
  <b>But ty</b>
</p><p>
  <b>That was kinda scary but really amazing</b>
</p><p>
  <b>I saw u in the crowd!</b>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i></i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i></i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>you did great dont worry</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>and yeah ik i saw you see me</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>awkward eye contact yk</i>
  </p>
</div><p>
  <b>Yeah lol</b>
</p><p>
  <b></b>
</p><p>
  <b></b>
</p><p>
  <b>Okay i'm about to head on stage</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Jaiden and Jameson says hi!!</b>
</p><p>
  <b>And u gotta meet becca after this</b>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>tell them i say hi back!</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i></i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i></i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>and yeah that'll be cool</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>if i don't make a fool of myself</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>good luck!</i>
  </p>
</div><p>
  <b>Thank you :)</b>
</p><p>When Olivia looked up to see the youtubers walk on stage, she caught Adam stuffing his phone into his pocket. Out of the five people walking on stage, she knew Jaiden, James, and Adam. She assumed the other girl was Becca, but she didn't recognize the fifth person- he had light brown hair and glasses. When he spoke, Olivia identified him as a fellow Englander.</p><p>The panel went by like a breeze. British-glasses guy asked them many questions, which they all answered truthfully but comedically. Adam forgot the question twice, and Olivia learned that Becca's full name is Rebecca. James talked about his second book, and Jaiden made fun of Adam for getting lost at 3 in the morning. The whole panel had a homely and comfortable feeling to it. Everyone on stage were friends and relaxed around each other.</p><p>When the panel ended, James jumped off stage with a sharpie ready in his hand and made a mad dash to the audience. He signed two things and grabbed a piece of fanart as fast as humanly possible. He then jogged back to his friends and gave a guilty smile to the security guard, who only sighed exasperatedly and led him backstage. Olivia made her way out of the theater and decided to ask her friends where they should meet.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>Adam is the best</b>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <b>12:13pm</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>you guys were amazing up there</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>Aw thank you Livvvvvv</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>that was quite the stunt you pulled at the end there</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>I KNOW</p><p>I hope I don't get into too much trouble lol</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adam 😈</b>
</p><p>That security guard looked half ready to kill you man</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>It was so worth it</p><p>The look on the fan's face was pure shock</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Jaiden</b>
</p><p>What was the thing you grabbed</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>It was some fanart of Becca</p><p>She said she would cherish it forever</p><p>She better</p><p>I risked my life for that</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>lmao sure</p>
  <p>so uh where should we meet</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Jaiden</b>
</p><p>I think we should go eat</p><p>There's a separate cafeteria for the youtubers</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adam 😈</b>
</p><p>I can come get u</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>dude you've spent half of the day just running around and looking for me</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Adam 😈</b>
</p><p>It really is no problem</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>I think i can find it myself</p>
  <p>but ty</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>If u get lost just call one of us</p><p>But u probably wont bc it's pretty close to the theater we were in</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Jaiden</b>
</p><p>Yeah we're gonna start heading there now</p><p>See you there!</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>okay see you</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>DONT DIE</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>i'll try not to</p>
</div><p>Olivia didn't think she could find it herself, but she was starting to feel guilty for making Adam run around looking for her. She decided she would stuff down her hesitance and brave asking the staff for directions.</p><p>After asking three people and nearly dying from anxiousness, she finally found the cafeteria. She shakily showed the security guard her pass, scared that he wouldn't let her in anyways. Thankfully, he stood aside and she hesitantly walked in. After a few seconds of awkwardly standing there, not knowing what to do, she heard her name being shouted behind her. She turned around and saw her friends waving their arms wildly, except for Jaiden, who was holding her phone up. The other youtubers sitting close by turned around in confusion, and ended up staring at her. She ducked her head, cheeks growing hot, and scuttled over to the table.</p><p>"Hi!" Jaiden greeted. "You okay?"</p><p>Olivia shook her head. "I'm kind of regretting denying Adam's help now. I had to ask three people for directions."</p><p>James patted her shoulder in sympathy. "We feel your pain. But here, we bought you pizza! Or, Adam bought us pizza cause he's the only one who brought cash."</p><p>"Oh, you didn't have to do that. I'm paying you back." She opened her bookbag and fished for her wallet. Adam put his hand on her wrist to stop her. "You really don't have to. It was like, 15 dollars anyways."</p><p>Olivia reluctantly put her wallet back into her backpack, but frowned when she realized something. She felt her wallet, portable charger, earbuds, water bottle, and things she got at the expo hall, but she couldn't feel her keys. She opened the bag wider and looked for it, hoping desperately that it just fell into a crook of her bag.</p><p>Her friends noticed her growing distress. "Is everything okay?" Adam asked.</p><p>"Uh," she said, still fumbling around her bag, "I can't find my keys." Her head shot up as she thought back to this morning. She groaned and facepalmed. "I think I forgot them at home. That's usually no problem 'cause my landlord can open the door for me, but I think he's on a business trip and won't be back for another day." Then to herself, she whispered, "I'm a fucking idiot."</p><p>James frowned. "Shouldn't there be someone taking over his job for now though?"</p><p>Olivia shuttered. "Yeah, there is. The landlord's idiot of a son. Last time I bumped into him, he thought I was a sex worker looking for a hook-up and tried to flirt with me." She scrunched her nose in disgust. "I don't know where he got that idea from, since I was wearing a heavy jacket and probably looked like shit, but he didn't get the memo until my girlf- uh, ex girlfriend, came and made it clear I wasn't available. Next time I saw him, he called me a fag. So now I try my best to ignore him."</p><p>Her friends winced as she talked. "That's a big yikes," Adam muttered. James nodded in agreement.</p><p>"If you don't mind," Jaiden started, "what's your sexuality?"</p><p>"Demisexual. I don't have a gender preference."</p><p>"Cool. I'm kinda questioning; I don't think I'm fully straight or fully gay, so. I'm just- I'm just Jaiden."</p><p>Olivia laughed. "That's cool too."</p><p>Adam piped in. "I don't think I'm fully straight either. I don't know." He shrugged.</p><p>"Uh, yeah. You're gay for me," James joked. Adam scoffed and pushed him away.</p><p>They talked and joked and ate pizza for some time until the youtubers had to go to a meet and greet. Olivia, having nothing to do, followed them. She didn't watch youtube enough to want to meet any creators and she already explored the expo hall. After a while of sitting around and watching her new friends make people happy, she headed to the expo hall again. She passed by Adam's booth and bought a "Looking Up" hoodie. Soon, she was on a hunt to find her friend's booths and buy something from all of them. From Jaiden, she bought some pins, and from James, she bought a hat. She went to the bathroom to put her purchases on, and took a picture in the mirror to show them. Afterwards, she ended up back near the entrance in the same coffeeshop she sat in before. There, she took some time to rest her legs and relax. Not before long, her phone alerted her of a text message.</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>Adam is the best</b>
  </p>
</div><div>
  <p>
    <b>2:38pm</b>
  </p>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>i got bored</p>
  <p>[photo]</p>
</div><p>
  <b>3:58pm</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>Our biggest fan 🥺</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Jaiden</b>
</p><p>Heck yeah</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>i really don't think i deserve that title</p>
  <p>i haven't watched a single one of your videos</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>I gasped</p><p>The adacity</p><p>audacity</p><p>Go watch them now</p><p>Right this instant</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Jaiden</b>
</p><p>Don't listen to him you really don't have to</p><p>I mean unless you wanna</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>lmao yeah i'm gonna go do that</p>
  <p>i don't really have much else to do</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Jaiden</b>
</p><p>Oh yeah sorry about that</p><p>We get really busy</p><p>Vidcon's supposed to be fun and not boring</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>oh its okay</p>
  <p>you shouldn't apologise for anything</p>
  <p>i was never big on youtube so it's my own fault i don't have anyone to meet</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Jaiden</b>
</p><p>Still</p><p>I wish we could've made your time more worthwhile</p><p>And there's still three more days!</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>i met you guys</p>
  <p>it was definitely worthwhile</p>
  <p>better than sulking at home with nothing to do</p>
  <p>besides i'm pretty sure i lost 7 pounds from walking around</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>AWWWW that's so sweeeet</p><p>Love you too my bro</p><p>Youre offically a better friend than adam</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adam 😈</b>
</p><p>WHAT THE FUCK</p><p>YOU GUYS LEAVE ME ALONE WITH THE FANS TO "GET A DRINK"</p><p>AND TURNS OUT YOU'RE TRASH TALKIBG ME?</p><p>James this is the last straw</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>Wait babe no...</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adam 😈</b>
</p><p>Dont call me that anymore</p><p>You've lost my trust</p><p>Its not me its you</p><p>
  <b></b>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>what-</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Jaiden</b>
</p><p>They like to pretend theyre in a relationship</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>sHUT UP JAIDEN ITS NOT PRETEND</p><p>(its pretend)</p><p>IM GOING THROUGH REAL HEARTBREAK HERE</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adam 😈</b>
</p><p>Stop being dramatic and get your ass back here</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Jamessssssss</b>
</p><p>Ugh fine</p><p>Talk later Liv!!!!</p><p>Oh where are u rn</p><p> </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>bye james!</p>
  <p>i'm at a coffeeshop near the entrance</p>
  <p>adam knows what im talking about</p>
</div><p>
  <b>Jaiden</b>
</p><p>Bye!!</p><p>See you later!</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <b>olivia</b>
  </p>
  <p>bye :&gt;</p>
</div>Olivia put her phone on the table with a smile on her face. However, that smile was quickly erased when she noticed a certain, familiar figure walking towards her. She stared for a few seconds, feeling her brows pinching together as she stood up abruptly. Soon, she was face to face with someone she had hoped to never see again.
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>4.10.20; 8:39pm</p><p>drink a shot every time i use the word cheer or crowd or applause</p><p>that was kinda a wild chapter and i'm not completely happy with it but it already took me so long to write. Hope it's satisfactory and that you still enjoy it! </p><p>Cheers!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>4.13.20; 11:07pm<br/>did y’all watch the new video (another comic i made in the 3rd grade or something like that idk) cause i’ve watched it like five times now</p><p>//IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE// when i posted the last chapter, i accidentally cut out the last paragraph! i just reposted it with the paragraph, so please read that before reading this chapter. sorry and thank you!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Funny seeing you here.”</p><p>Olivia narrowed her eyes, gripping her bag possessively. Every fiber of her being fought against each other, telling her to run into the arms of the woman in front of her and run as far away as she can. She ended up standing as still as a statue, barely remembering to breathe.</p><p>She finally spoke. “Not really.”</p><p>“Nice sweater.”</p><p>“I didn’t ask.”</p><p>Hailey put her hands on her hips, frowning at her. “No need to be so rude. I’m just trying to have a civil conversation.”</p><p>“Should’ve tried that before you cheated on me.”</p><p>Hailey opened her mouth in offense, but didn’t say anything. Instead, her eyes landed on Olivia’s yellow Vidcon badge, making her tilt her head in confusion. “That’s not the pass we bought. How’d you get that?”</p><p>Olivia rolled her eyes, picked up her jacket and slung her bag over her shoulder. “That’s none of your business. Aren’t you here with your boyfriend or something? Leave me alone.”</p><p>“He’s not my boyfriend, he’s just my-”</p><p>“Boytoy? One night stand?” Hailey recoiled. “I couldn’t care less. You left me for him once already, shouldn't be hard to do it again.”</p><p>Hailey stood stunned. “I-” she spluttered for words. “Why are you acting so bitchy, I-”</p><p>“Oh, you are fucking kidding me!” Olivia shouted. “I’m acting bitchy? How long have we known each other, Hailey? Six years! Six fucking years! We dated for four! Did you forget all of that? Did none of that bloody matter to you at all?”</p><p>Hailey’s eyes were the size of the moon. “O-of course it mattered to me, why-”</p><p>“Then why did you throw it away?” Olivia’s voice cracked as she felt her anger bring tears forth. ”I loved you so much, Hailey. I would’ve done anything for you. I had no doubts about you. After all, why would my best friend of six fucking years not be as loyal to me as I am to her?” Olivia wiped her arm across her face.</p><p>Hailey opened her mouth to speak, but Olivia cut her off. “Could you even start to imagine how I felt when I found out you’ve been sleeping with another guy? Let alone my best friend? We stumbled through becoming adults together. We knew each other better than anyone else did.“ Olivia scoffed. “At least, I thought we did. The fact that you threw away all of that for a boy you can’t even call your boyfriend is utterly insane.”</p><p>Hailey crossed her arms defensively. “You don’t understand.”</p><p>“You’re right! I don’t understand!” Olivia shouted damn near to the top of her lungs. “And I’m never going to understand! Hell, I don’t even want to understand.” Olivia tried blinking away her tears, but all that did was force the tears down her face. She scowled at Hailey, wiping away the tears in a quick motion. Before she could keep speaking, however, she was interrupted.</p><p>“Olivia?”</p><p>She didn’t need to turn around to confirm that it was Adam. Her full attention was on the woman who stared behind her shoulder, eyes growing even wider. She quickly brought her attention back to Olivia, whose face was still twisted in anger.  </p><p>“You’re not worth any more of my time.” </p><p>She turned around to leave, but Hailey grabbed her wrist. She turned around with a deadly look in her eyes, prompting Hailey to instantly let go in surprise.</p><p>“Don’t touch me,” Olivia said in a low, dark voice, a complete contrast to how she sounded only seconds ago. “Don’t ever contact me again. Don’t come anywhere near my apartment. I swear, Hailey, if you ever try reaching out to me again, we are going to have even more issues on our pile of shit.”</p><p>Olivia kept glaring at her ex-lover, hearing footsteps approach behind her. Soon, the footsteps stopped behind her, and she felt a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>“Hey,” Adam muttered in a low, calming voice. “Let’s go, Olivia. Jaiden and James are waiting by the side entrance.” He started lightly guiding her backwards, which she was only so happy to comply with.</p><p>“Somethingelseyt?” Hailey muttered, though it came out as a question.</p><p>Though Olivia couldn’t see Adam’s face, she could feel him tense up and glare at her. “Don’t tell me you’re a fan.”</p><p>Olivia was almost surprised to hear the venom in his voice. It was completely different from the upbeat, sweet voice he greeted his other fans with.</p><p>“Uh, I actually am,” Hailey replied, sounding unsure.</p><p>“No autograph for you,” Adam muttered under his breath. “Look. Do me a favor and unsubscribe. Please. I don’t want someone so toxic ruining my fanbase.”  </p><p>Hailey, taken aback, looked like she was going to say anything, but they didn’t hear it. Adam and Olivia turned around and left as quickly as they could. When they were a reasonable distance away, Adam slowed down to a normal walk, but Olivia kept charging forward.</p><p>“Wh- wait wait wait, come back!” Adam jogged in front of her, forcing her to an abrupt stop. Chest heaving, Olivia turned her back to him to try to hide the fresh trail of tears on her face. It was a futile effort, as her sniffles gave her away. Adam gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. He held her at arm's length so that they could fully see each other.</p><p>“I’m not so good at this comforting thing,” He started. “But I’ve been there, and it sucks. I know you two knew each other for a really long time, so it probably sucks more for you.” He cut himself off, frowning at the floor. “What I’m trying to say is, I know being cheated on is complete shit, and it feels like shit, but after a while, you just gotta learn that in the end, they’re not worth feeling like shit over. They’re irrelevant.” He met her eyes, though he looked slightly unsure. “Um, that’s not what I meant. Like, the times you shared together aren’t irrelevant, ‘cause those things are important and whatever, but like, she as a person is irrelevant ‘cause she cheated on you and that’s a very shitty thing to do-”</p><p>Olivia clamped her hand over Adam’s mouth, suppressing a giggle. “I get it.”</p><p>When she took away her hand, Adam gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that. You know how I get and stuff.” He coughed. “Um, do you want to go to the bathroom? You know, to freshen up. You have mascara running down your face. I hope that’s not rude. If it is, no offense.”</p><p>Olivia gave in to a laugh. “Thanks. I really appreciate it. You know, for making me feel better. And telling me I look like shit in the nicest way possible.”</p><p>Adam looked like he was ready to protest, but he shut his mouth and led the way to the restroom. Once Olivia cleaned up her face as best as she could, she met Adam outside the bathroom and they headed to the side entrance where their friends were waiting for them. Soon, they came into view.</p><p>“Hey!” Adam shouted once they were in hearing distance. Jaiden and James immediately turned around to greet them.</p><p>“Hi!” Jaiden chirped, not quite aware of Olivia’s current state yet.</p><p>James, however, immediately noticed her red rimmed eyes and splotchy skin. “Uh, no offense, Liv, you don’t look so great. You okay?”</p><p>Olivia sighed. “I’m fine now. My ex thought it would be a great idea to approach me.” James gasped dramatically, while Jaiden shook her head.</p><p>“She really is the biggest loser,” James said.</p><p>“It’s whatever, I don’t really wanna think about her anymore.” They nodded in understanding.</p><p>“Okay,” Jaiden started. “We don’t have any more panels or whatever planned, and we were invited to a party thing. You wanna come? We’re gonna eat dinner there too.”</p><p>Though Olivia really didn’t want to be a bummer, she couldn’t bring herself to agree. “Sorry, I’m really not up for partying. That whole fiasco lost me my appetite, too. I think it’s about time I went home.”</p><p>James frowned. “How are you going to get into your apartment though? You said you don’t have your keys.”</p><p>Olivia had forgotten all about that. She groaned, facepalming. “I forgot about that. It’s fine, I’ll just have to ask the idiot son.”</p><p>“Hey, why don’t you just stay in the hotel today?” Adam suggested. “You can stay in my room, since Jaiden and James are sharing a room. I’ve got an extra bed. Besides, I think it started raining outside.”</p><p>One look out the door and she could confirm that it was raining. However, she did not relent. “It’s fine, I really don’t want to be a bother.”</p><p>“That’s a pretty good idea, actually,” Jaiden said. “And you won’t be a bother at all. After the party, we’re probably gonna invite some friends to our room and play some card games. If you’re feeling up to it, you can totally join! And we’ll finally introduce you to Becca.” James nodded along enthusiastically.</p><p>Still unsure, Olivia asked, “Are you sure?”</p><p>They were all 100% sure.</p><p>She finally relented. “Okay, fine. Thank you so much, though. You saved me a lot of trouble and two uber rides.”</p><p>“It’s really no problem for me and Jaiden,” James said. “And I’m sure Adam doesn’t mind at all.”</p><p>“Yeah, I uh- really don’t mind.” He glared at James, slightly red faced. James only mischievously smiled back.</p><p>“Okay, James and I will head to the place now. Adam, you know where it is. You go show Olivia to your room.” Jaiden said, knocking the boys out of their staring contest. After agreeing, Adam started leading her to the hotel.</p><p>“Wait,” Olivia started. “I don’t have anything on me. Like, clothes, toothbrush, whatever. I might have a lipstick buried in my bag somewhere.”</p><p>Adam strugged. “It’s okay, you can borrow my clothes. Or uh, if you’re not comfortable with that, I’m sure Jaiden will have something. She’s always very prepared. We can ask the hotel for a toothbrush, and you look fine without any makeup.” He blushed. “Uh, I’m assuming you weren’t wearing any makeup back at the bar, and you were crying so your face was red and stuff and uh no offense, I still thought you looked great so uh- I’ll shut up now.”</p><p>Olivia laughed, even as blood crept up her own face. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”</p><p>Adam only gave her an awkward grin and thumbs up.  </p><p>Once they got there, Adam fished for his keycard in his wallet. Once he got it, though, he hesitated in scanning it. </p><p>“What’s wrong?” Olivia asked. </p><p>“It’s just that uh… It’s pretty messy in there.”</p><p>“Oh. I don’t mind, but if you want me to wait outside, I can.”</p><p>“No no no it’s okay, I’m not gonna make you do that. I’ll just suck it up and deal with it like a big boy.”</p><p>“Uh huh,” Olivia raised her eyebrow in amusement. “Like a big boy.”</p><p>“Yep, just like one,” he said as he scanned the card and pushed the door open. </p><p>It was a pretty big hotel room. On the opposite wall stood a large window that gave a great view of London. Sheer white curtains covered it, with the thicker curtains pushed to the side, giving the whole room an almost ethereal feel. Two queen sized beds were pushed to the wall on the right, with a night table in between the beds and a television on the wall to the left. Under the television was a sleek black drawer the same colour of the night table, and next to it a desk and a chair that was similar in fashion. Of course, upon entering the hotel room, a door left ajar led to the bathroom. </p><p>It was a very beautiful hotel room. Besides the messy sheets of one bed and the articles of clothing lying haphazardly around the room. </p><p>“Excuse me,” Adam rushed, pushing in front of Olivia. “I must salvage my dignity.” He opened a suitcase lying on the floor and started throwing the clothing into it. He tried discreetly hiding a pair of boxers by putting a t-shirt over it, but it ultimately failed when Olivia caught a glimpse of it. </p><p>“I really don’t mind,” Olivia insisted, taking one more step into the room. </p><p>“I do!” He finished throwing his clothes into his suitcase and ran to the bathroom. Olivia couldn’t help but chuckle. He came out a few minutes later with a small ball of clothes in one hand and an unopened package of a toothbrush in the other. </p><p>“Look, there’s already a spare. No need to talk to any humans. Yay!” He threw the bundle of clothing into the suitcase as well and kicked it closed. After brushing himself off, Adam turned around and gave Olivia an innocent smile. </p><p>“Thank you for uh- that.” She grinned back. “It was quite enjoyable to watch.”</p><p>Adam stood proudly. “I try my best.”</p><p>Olivia laughed. “Okay, you big dork. You have a party to head to, remember?”</p><p>“Oh, yeah. Is there anything else you need?”</p><p>“No, I’ll be fine. Thanks again for letting me stay here.”</p><p>“No problem. Oh, here.” He took out his wallet again and gave her another keycard. “Just in case you wanna leave the room.” He started towards the door. </p><p>“Thanks. Have fun!”</p><p>“I’ll try my best!”</p><p>Adam finally shut the door, leaving Olivia alone in his hotel room.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>4.14.20; 1:48am</p><p>i was thinking of ways to describe widened eyes without sounding like a dolt and i just so happened to be listening nine in the afternoon at the time and it was perfect. it was meant to be</p><p>or maybe i'm just delirious from lack of sleep who knows hope you enjoyed this chapter woowoo cheers bye</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>4.15.20; 1:03pm</p><p>i haven't done my homework yet lmao screwed</p><p>//for anyone who wants to read this on wattpad, i wanted to mention that the chapters are one off. On wattpad, my first chapter starts at zero. it didn't work for ao3, so my first chapter here is just one.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Adam walked to the restaurant with his hands in his pockets and his head in the clouds.</p><p>The recent (and incredibly awkward) encounter with Olivia's ex still brewed in his mind. He couldn't help feeling angry for his new friend; why anyone would leave such an amazing girl for some shitass friend was beyond him. If he were the ex, he-</p><p>Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves.</p><p>He shook his head wildly, trying to dispel any more thoughts that wandered into untouched territory. He apologized to the person he bumped into and sped walked the rest of the way to the party.</p><p>Once he arrived, he did a double take. He really did not expect this kind of restaurant for a so-called party. While he was expecting a club-like atmosphere with strobe lights and loud music, the place was quite fancy. The exterior was a light cream colored shade that made him feel entirely under-dressed. He could hear a faint beat of music emanating from the inside.</p><p>The inside was just like the outside. It still gave him fancy, old-timed vibes, but the young people in modern-looking clothes dispelled that atmosphere. No longer feeling like he may have gotten the wrong address, he began a search for his friends.</p><p>It didn't take long. After only a few minutes, he spotted James's blonde head over the crowd. He then spotted Jaiden; both of them had their backs turned to him. Only Rebecca, who was talking to them, had a chance of seeing him.</p><p>It didn't take long for Adam to hatch a master plan. He tried discreetly sneaking up on them, acting as normal as he could so that people didn't look at him weird. He adjusted his hat slightly lower, though he thought it probably wouldn't help much. Although he tried his hardest to not be seen, Rebecca's eyes wandered and met his. He quickly put a finger against his mouth to convey secrecy, and to his luck, she smiled and complied. He continued creeping up to Jaiden and James, catching Rebecca's eyes flickering to him a few times. Once he was in range, he jumped between Jaiden and James, shouting "Boo!" as he did so. In result, Jaiden yelped and James let out an inhuman shriek. It caught the attention of people nearby, but they soon returned to their own business.</p><p>"Adam! Jesus Christ!" Jaiden exclaimed. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"</p><p>"My soul," James stated, looking like he'd seen a ghost. "Has left my body."</p><p>Adam scoffed jokingly. "Wuss." Rebecca held her hand up for a high-five, which he enthusiastically returned.</p><p>"Becca? You were in on this?" James asked, feigning hurt. "I thought we were buddies!"</p><p>"Well, I caught Adam sneaking up on us."</p><p>"And you didn't say anything?" Jaiden exclaimed.</p><p>"Why would I? That reaction was gold." Jaiden harrumphed and crossed her arms across her chest in mock annoyance. After another second of keeping up the facade, the group of friends fell into laughter.</p><p>"So," James drawled. "How's Liv feeling?"</p><p>"Who's Liv?" Rebecca asked, confused.</p><p>"She's feeling better, I think." Adam then answered Rebecca's question. "Her full name is Olivia, but James thinks he's cool. She's a friend. I met her at 3am in a bar 'cause I got horribly lost."</p><p>Rebecca shook her head, chuckling. "Typical Adam."</p><p>Offended, Adam lightly pushed Rebecca, making her laugh even more. The rest of the evening went on like this. The group joked and laughed, occasionally taking out a phone to film for possible future videos. They ate a delicious dinner, of which Adam remembered to ask for another serving to take home. Soon people started leaving, so the group of friends started getting ready to leave as well. The sun had fully gone down, leaving an inky blue in its wake.</p><p>Jaiden's eyes lit up in remembrance. "Hey Becca, do you wanna come to James and my room for some card games? I think Olivia will probably be there, and we really want to introduce her to you." James and Adam nodded along.</p><p>"Yeah, sure! I've got nothing else to do anyways. Should be fun!"</p><p>So they trekked back to the hotel, not as loud as they were in the party since they were all starting to feel the effects of jetlag. Adam, who couldn't sleep very well because his mind was occupied with a certain person, was especially drowsy.</p><p>"Beach day is tomorrow at 11, right?" Rebecca asked. Jaiden nodded.</p><p>"Oh yeah. I almost forgot about that." James pondered. "I hope I didn't forget my swim trunks."</p><p>"I might have an extra pair, if you need it," Adam mumbled, slightly swinging the plastic bag in his hand.</p><p>They soon arrived at the hotel. Adam split off from the rest of the group to go to his room, and promised to be at James and Jaiden's as fast as he could.</p><p>He checked his phone, which displayed 8:14PM in bold text. When he made it to his room, he knocked twice and opened the door with his keycard. He heard a faint humming to a song he didn't recognize. When he walked in, he found Olivia lying on the bed he didn't use with her earbuds in her ears and her phone in her hands. Adam stood there for a few seconds before Olivia finally noticed him.</p><p>Her eyes widened in surprise, making her drop her phone on her face. She yelped and sat up clumsily, rubbing her forehead.</p><p>Adam winced. "Sorry. You okay?"</p><p>She playfully glared at him, making the corner of his lip instantly lift. "I'm fine. If there's a lump on my head later, though, I'm throwing that lamp at you." She pointed to the lamp on the bedside table.</p><p>"Don't do that. Please. I have a peace offering." He handed the plastic bag to her. She accepted it and took the take-out box out, examining it.</p><p>"I accept." She got up from the bed and set the box down on the table. "Thanks, by the way. You didn't have to do that."</p><p>Adam shrugged. "It's not a problem. I know you were feeling like shit before and didn't have an appetite, but I thought you might be hungry now."</p><p>"Thanks. Again."</p><p>"You're welcome! But you might wanna eat that fast, Jaiden, James, and Becca are waiting."</p><p>Olivia opened the box and dug in. Adam told her about his experience at the party as she ate, and soon they were on their way to Jaiden's room.</p><p>"Oh, shit," Olivia whispered. "I forgot I looked like a rat.</p><p>"You look fine," Adam whispered back.</p><p>"I really don't." She gestured to her hair, still whispering. "Not a great first impression, if you ask me."</p><p>"Becca won't mind, trust me. Why are we whispering?" Olivia shrugged.</p><p>They soon found their way in front of their friends' hotel room door. Adam knocked, and in doing so, they heard yells of "they're here!" and "you go open the door, I'm too lazy."</p><p>A second later of rustling, the door swung open and Jaiden's smiling face greeted them. "Hi!"</p><p>"Took you long enough!" James yelled in the background.</p><p>Jaiden rolled her eyes. "Come in!"</p><p>They did as told, and Adam saw James lounging on the couch, taking up all the space, and Rebecca sitting on the floor with some cards in her hands. Jaiden took her spot across from Rebecca, and picked up her hand. There was a messy pile of cards in the middle.</p><p>Jaiden patted the space next to her, signalling Adam and Olivia to sit down. After they got comfortable, Rebecca turned to Olivia with an outstretched hand.</p><p>"Hi! I'm Rebecca. You can call me Becca if you'd like, I don't mind."</p><p>Olivia took her hand almost timidly and shook it. "I'm Olivia. Nice to meet you. Uh- sorry I look like a mess right now." She tried combing her fingers through her hair, but to no avail.</p><p>"Oh, it doesn't bother me. We all have our bad days." Adam gave Olivia a "told you so" look, to which she responded with by sticking her tongue out to him.</p><p>Adam and Olivia waited for their friends to finish their current round and joined in the next one. Rebecca and Olivia got to know each other better and also enthused about music. It was obvious that everyone in the room really needed this time to destress. They all had a busy and eventful day, so ending it off with a simple card game was perfect.</p><p>"Uno out!" Olivia exclaimed, ending her 11th round of the game. "Ugh, finally. I really suck at this game."</p><p>"Still better than me. That was your third win, I only have two wins- and I've been playing longer than you!" Rebecca retorted. James dropped his hand of cards on the floor and rested his head on the couch, groaning. Jaiden and Rebecca also seemed weary, and Adam felt the tiredness creeping in on himself as well.</p><p>"Why are you all so tired?" Olivia asked. "I thought London time was ahead of LA time."</p><p>"Yeah, it is," Adam said. "But that meant none of us slept that much yesterday. I'm running on like, 20 minutes of sleep." The other youtubers nodded in agreement.</p><p>"Oh. I thought it was just Adam, since he had that whole "getting lost" fiasco."</p><p>Adam mockingly glared at her. "If it weren't for the whole "getting lost" fiasco, I never would've met you."</p><p>"Hey, I didn't say it was a bad thing." She held her hands up in surrender.</p><p>"Weren't you also up 'til like, four?" James asked Olivia.</p><p>"Well, somewhere around that time. I still got like, 3 hours of sleep. And I literally just graduated from uni a few months ago, so I'm still used to sleeping late and pulling all nighters."</p><p>"Oh, cool! How old are you?" Rebecca asked.</p><p>"I'm 22."</p><p>"Me too! When's your birthday?" Jaiden interrupted.</p><p>"December 15. You?"</p><p>"Oh, you're actually younger than me. I'm September 27."</p><p>"I also have a December birthday," Rebecca said. "December 4th. But I'm 32. I know, I'm old."</p><p>They laughed as Olivia stored the information in her brain. "What about you two?" She asked, turning to the boys.</p><p>"Oh, mine is May 14," James said first. "I'm 23. Exactly four more months and I'll be 24!"</p><p>"Mine is June 17. I'm also 22." Adam said nonchalantly.</p><p>Conversation slowed from there as Adam and the other youtubers got increasingly tired. Not before long, they were basically zombies.</p><p>"Okay," Olivia said, the only one who wasn't half asleep. "I think it's about time we head back and get some rest for tomorrow, ey?"</p><p>Everyone agreed, though it sounded more like a chorus of groans.</p><p>"Oh, wait," Jaiden mumbled. "We're going to the beach tomorrow. Wanna come?" She forced her eyes open and looked at Olivia.</p><p>"Uh, sure. But I don't have a swim suit or anything." In the wake of this, Jaiden got up as if there was a boulder on her back. She trudged to her suitcase and pulled out two swimsuits.</p><p>"Red or purple?" She asked wearily. "Just kidding, I'm taking the purple one. You like red, right? I remember you were wearing red before. I think. I dunno." She rubbed her eyes and threw the garment at her, proceeding to face plant on the bed.</p><p>"Oh, yeah, I'm fine with red. Uh, it's not my favourite colour, but I don't mind."</p><p>Adam, who was lying in a starfish position on the floor, picked up his head to look at her. "Red is the best color. Shut up." He then dropped his head back down abruptly.</p><p>Rebecca seemed to be the only other person who still had a grip on reality. She yawned and stood up. "I should get going. If I stay any longer, I'm afraid I'm not gonna leave. It was nice meeting you, Olivia."</p><p>After saying their goodbyes to Rebecca, Olivia stood up as well and tucked the swimsuit into the pocket of her hoodie. She looked down at Adam, who only stared back with droopy eyes. She crouched and poked his cheek. He groaned and turned his face away, which only prompted Olivia to poke his cheek again.</p><p>"Come on, let's go. I'd feel weird if I went into your hotel room by myself. Besides, I'd probably get lost."</p><p>Adam groaned again and heaved himself up. "Fine, fine. I'm going. Bye, Jaiden, Jameson." James waved half heartedly from the couch and Jaiden said something into the bed.</p><p>After Olivia waved goodbye to the pair (although he was pretty sure neither of them saw it) Olivia and Adam left the room. Adam ended up leaning against Olivia as she held him by the arm to keep him upright.</p><p>"Oh, how the tables have turned," she mumbled. "Except I think you're heavier than me."</p><p>Adam murmured something unintelligibly and rested his head on the side of hers. It wasn't comfortable, but he couldn't care. When Olivia wasn't sure which way to go, Adam would subtly nudge her into the right direction. Before long, they made it to Adam's room and fumbled to get in. When the door finally opened, Adam kicked his shoes off and let himself fall on his bed. He contemplated just going to sleep like this, but he could feel his hat digging into his skull and he never liked sleeping with his shirt on.</p><p>Oh, wait. Is that appropriate when your friend of one day was sleeping over? He couldn't remember. He shrugged to himself and tossed his hat on the table, looking at Olivia, who seemed to be conflicted.</p><p>"You okay?" He asked.</p><p>"Oh, yeah. It's just, I'm not used to sleeping in a hoodie, it gets too hot for me. It's okay, though, I'll deal with it."</p><p>Adam didn't hear the second half of what she was saying. He dug around in his suitcase for a clean shirt, and soon found one. He handed it to Olivia.</p><p>"It's like, winter, so I don't have any short sleeves, but I think this shirt is thinner than the uh- thing you're wearing. Hoodie. Yeah." His words came out jumbled, but Olivia somehow understood them.</p><p>"Oh, thanks. I'll go change in the bathroom." She took the shirt in her hands and scurried to the bathroom. Adam took this chance to take off his shirt and change into a pair of sweatpants. Soon, Olivia walked out of the bathroom in the blue shirt he gave her and her bundle of clothes in her hands. The end of the shirt fell just above her knees, and the sleeves needed to be bunched up. She neatly folded the items and put them on the chair accompanying the table.</p><p>Then they seemed to have shared an awkward moment. Olivia stood fiddling with the sleeves of his shirt, wearing nothing else but her underwear while Adam was the complete opposite- sitting on his bed without a shirt and some sweatpants.</p><p>"Uh," Olivia started. "I brushed my teeth and washed up and stuff. So you can do that stuff too. Or whatever."</p><p>Adam gave her a weary smile and shuffled to the bathroom. He quickly did his business and cleaned up, wanting to get back into bed as soon as he could. By the time he left the bathroom, Olivia was already tucked under the blankets.</p><p>He scooted into his own bed and pulled the blankets up to his chin.</p><p>"Goodnight," he whispered, hand reaching for the switch of the light.</p><p>"Night."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>4.16.20; 11:01pm</p><p> </p><p>i get distracted so easily omfg i've like checked my phone 20 times and walked downstairs with no aim 5 times and then realised i was supposed to be writing holy shit</p><p>anyways hope this chapter was okay (it's different cause it's more in adam's pov) </p><p>cheers!</p><p>//the day i'm uploading this on ao3 is adam's birthday! so, happy birthday adam!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. eight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>4.26.20; 3:51pm</p><p>sorry for not updating i started binge watching lucifer on netflix and i couldn’t stop myself from watching all of it and then rewatching it</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Olivia blinked her eyes open and yawned. She stared at the white ceiling, disoriented and confused. Her ceiling wasn’t white.</p><p>Oh, yeah. She’s in Adam’s hotel room.</p><p>She sat up, rubbing her eyes. She caught a glimpse of herself and the bird nest on her head in the full length mirror. Looking to her left, she saw Adam with the blankets up to his chin, sleeping peacefully. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand, checking the time. It was about nine in the morning.</p><p>Olivia got out of bed and grabbed her clothes, pulling the swimsuit out of the pocket of her new hoodie as she did so. She headed to the bathroom, brushing her teeth and splashing her face with water, making do with what she had. She stripped naked and put on the swimsuit, which ended up being slightly tight. She and Jaiden were of similar height, but Jaiden was slimmer. After glancing self consciously at her figure, she put on the clothes she wore to vidcon over the swimsuit.</p><p>She attempted to brush through her wavy, tangled hair, but the feeble hotel comb was no match. After taming barely half of her hair, two bristles snapped off. She groaned and tossed the comb aside, picking out the bristles in her hair. After using her fingers to comb through it all and contemplating shaving it all off, she pulled her hair back into a messy bun. She tried making it look slightly presentable, but gave up after a few tries. She cleaned up the strands of hair she left everywhere and finally walked out of the bathroom.</p><p>Adam was already awake. He sat with his bare back facing Olivia and the sunlight shining on his glorious form.</p><p>He sneezed. Loudly.</p><p>Olivia yelped, feeling as if her soul had left her body. “Bloody hell!” She wheezed, clutching her heart. “Were you possessed by Satan?”</p><p>He turned around, eyes wide in surprise and cheeks red in embarrassment. “Oh! Uh, hi, Olivia. You weren’t meant to witness that.”</p><p>She hesitantly walked towards him, laughing breathlessly. “Good morning to you too, I think.”</p><p>He chuckled, rubbing the base of his neck. “Good morning. You okay? I didn’t mean to scare you.”</p><p>“Uh, I’m pretty sure I died and came back, but I’m fine.” She glanced at his disheveled hair and lack of clothes. “You should probably get ready. We gotta eat breakfast and head to the beach, right?”</p><p>Adam stood up, grabbing his swim trunks and a shirt. “Yeah. Can you order room service? Get whatever, I don’t really care.” Olivia gave him a thumbs-up and picked up the room service menu.</p><p>After Adam changed and their food arrived, they chatted and ate. After a while, Adam’s phone pinged.</p><p>“It’s James. They’re gonna meet us at the beach.”</p><p>Olivia nodded, but frowned. “In hindsight, what were you guys thinking when you decided to go to the beach in the winter? And in London? We’re not exactly known for sunny beaches. More old people and rain.”</p><p>Adam shrugged. “It was James’s idea. It shouldn’t be that bad, right? Isn’t it like, always warmer at the beach?”</p><p>Olivia snorted. “Not quite.” She stuffed her belongings and a hotel towel into her bag and put on her jacket. Adam got the cue and started getting ready too. They put on their shoes and headed for the door.</p><p>Olivia glanced at Adam. “Are you sure you wanna wear shorts?”</p><p>“Why not? I’m probably gonna end up in the water anyways.”</p><p>“Don’t complain if your legs freeze off.”</p><p>Once they made it outside, Olivia took in the sky. “Huh. It’s actually not that cold today. Lucky you, I suppose. Are we walking there?”</p><p>“Sure. It shouldn’t be that far.”</p><p>“It isn’t.”</p><p>They walked to the beach, quiet for the most part. They occasionally made light conversation but mostly just enjoyed each other’s presence. Soon, the beach came into view. To Olivia’s surprise, there were actually a good amount of people relaxing at the beach. She supposed there would be a lot of people from Vidcon.</p><p>They spent a few minutes searching for their friends. Olivia soon spotted Jaiden talking to someone she didn’t recognise.</p><p>“Liv!”</p><p>Olivia’s head shot up in alarm. She looked around for the blonde American she met yesterday, but a pair of pale arms snaked around her waist and picked her up. She cried out in complete surprise and instinctively elbowed the head behind her. She was put down immediately. Olivia spun around to see James rubbing the side of his head, wearing blue swim trunks.</p><p>“Oh, shit. Sorry, James.”</p><p>He waved her off. “Don’t worry about it, I probably deserved that. But I probably wouldn’t have done that if I knew you were secretly a ninja.”</p><p>All the while, Adam stood to the side, laughing. “That’s the highlight of my day.”</p><p>“But the day just started!” Jaiden joined the conversation, with her hair down and the purple swimsuit from yesterday on. She also had a white hoodie on, though the bottom of it was slightly wet. </p><p>Adam and Olivia greeted Jaiden. “Aren’t you cold?” Olivia asked.</p><p>“Kinda. Mostly my legs, but that’s probably because I was just in the water. We thought today was gonna be even colder, and we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the ocean, but we got pretty lucky.”</p><p>James nodded. “Come on, join us! There’s a bunch of other people we know, but we’re not that close with them and they’re off with their own friends. Becca’s somewhere here too, I think.”</p><p>“We have a towel over there,” Jaiden pointed. “You can put your stuff down there and change.”</p><p>Adam and Olivia headed to the towel Jaiden pointed to. Olivia looked back to their friends and saw them having a conversation, standing in close proximity to each other. James said something that made Jaiden laugh, and they headed back to the shore together.</p><p>“There’s definitely something going on between them,” Adam quipped when he noticed her looking at his friends. “They’re just both big dorks who are too scared to say anything.”</p><p>Adam set his bag down and stripped to just his swim trunks. He shivered. “Okay, maybe it is kinda cold.”</p><p>Olivia smiled. “Wuss.” She shimmied out of her jeans and thought about leaving her jumper on, but decided she didn’t want to get sand all over it. She’d rather deal with embarrassment than having sand in her jumper eternally. She folded her clothes and shoved them into her bag.</p><p>When she caught Adam staring at her, she rethought her decision. Maybe she could deal with an itchy jumper after all. </p><p>“Uh, yeah, I know, it’s a bit tight. Maybe I should just-”</p><p>Adam spluttered. “Oh wait! No, I was just- sorry. You look nice.”</p><p>Olivia raised an eyebrow, laughing awkwardly. “You look nice too?”</p><p>“Heh, um. Thanks.” He shook his head like he was trying to rid himself of a fly. “Let’s go to uh. James and Jaiden. Yep.”</p><p>Olivia looked at him quizzically, but spared him and headed to the water.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>// it seems,,,, i've forgotten to document the end time for this chapter,,,,</p><p>oH yeah did y'all like adam's take two of help cause i did (i personally like take one more but take two was still amazing)</p><p>and i know i said i wasn't updating cause i was binge watching netflix shows (which is true) but i honestly don't really know what i'm writing,,,, writers block a h a</p><p>anyways hope you enjoy anddd cheers!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. nine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>5.1.20; 1:42pm</p><p>happy may!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Well, that was fun," Olivia quipped, drying her hair with her towel. She grimaced. "I don't know if it was worth the sand though."</p><p>The sun was high in the sky, peeking through the white clouds. Light reflected off of the surface of the water's rippling waves. Olivia and Adam stood in the sand, changed into their clothes and attempting to rid themselves of the saltwater in their hair. Jaiden and James left some time ago, needing to get ready for their panel.</p><p>Adam snorted. "Tell me about it. I should probably head back to the hotel to clean up. I don't wanna walk around Vidcon aimlessly looking like a hobo."</p><p>Olivia smiled, though she had a hesitant look on her face. "Yeah, Vidcon. I know I said I was gonna stay for two days, but I don't really think I have anything to do. You guys will probably be really busy, so I don't really see the point of going."</p><p>"I don't actually have anything planned today," Adam said after a second of consideration. "Jaiden and James have more panels and whatever, but I'm completely free."</p><p>Olivia nodded. "Right. Well uh, would- would you like to hang out? You know, explore the wonder that is London."</p><p>"Actually, that sounds pretty fun. But I desperately need a change of clothes."</p><p>"Yeah, me too. I don't know where I'm gonna get them, but-" Olivia's eyes widened in realization. "Wait, my landlord should be back by now. How about we go our separate ways, freshen up, and you can meet me at my place? There's a cafe nearby with great hot chocolate, and we can eat lunch there, if you'd like. I'll text you my address."</p><p>Adam nodded, giving her a lopsided grin. "Perfect! See you in a few, then."</p><p>They picked up their bags and went their separate ways. Olivia hailed a taxi and gave the driver her destination. As promised, she texted Adam her address and received a smiley face in return.</p><p>Once she arrived at her apartment complex, she sheepishly told the front desk- a dark skinned woman named Mia- about her predicament.</p><p>"You're lucky," Mia said, holding a ring of keys. "Mr. Burrows just came back an hour ago and that disgusting son of his left like, ten minutes ago."</p><p>Mia Williams was an eccentric woman. Her short, curly hair was always a mess on top of her head- she claimed that she couldn't tame it if she tried. She wore minimal makeup- bright red lipstick with mascara and occasionally something fancier- and Olivia never saw her out of her pencil skirt. Mia was older than Olivia, around 40 years old, but her personality was bright and cheerful. Her age does not show on her face, and Olivia still has a hard time believing that she's a day over 30. Olivia met her a few years back, when she moved here with Hailey. She always felt like Mia had a certain disdain for Hailey, but always kept quiet politely.</p><p>"Oh, great," Olivia replied. "I was really worried that he'd still be here." She shivered. "That guy is truly an insect."</p><p>Mia huffed. "Preaching to the choir, mate. Anyways, how'd you manage to forget your keys? Again?"</p><p>Olivia chuckled and gave Mia a sheepish smile without answering. In turn, Mia rolled her eyes playfully and tutted.</p><p>Once they reached Olivia's apartment, Mia unlocked the door for her and said her goodbyes. Olivia dropped her bag by the door and headed directly to the bathroom, eager to clean off the sand and salt. She got in the shower, humming the tune to the song Adam sang yesterday. After a while, she turned off the scalding water and dried herself off. She wrapped her towel around her torso and picked up her dirty clothes to throw in the laundry. She must have spent longer than she thought in the shower, as the doorbell rang a second later.</p><p>She stopped in her tracks, clutching her towel with her eyes wide. She scurried to the door and asked, "Adam?"</p><p>"Yep!" came the answer.</p><p>"Uh, give me a moment!" she yelled frantically. She ran to her room to put on her undergarments and the first things her hands grabbed from her dresser, which ended up being a white turtleneck and black leggings. After tugging them on as quickly as she could and almost tripping, she rushed to the door and swung it open.</p><p>"Hi," she greeted breathlessly. "Sorry about that."</p><p>Adam laughed. "Did you just finish your shower?"</p><p>Olivia crossed her arms around her waist. "Maybe."</p><p>"But it's been like, an hour."</p><p>She huffed. "I lost track of time. Here, come in. I'm not done getting ready, and I don't wanna keep you standing outside my door."</p><p>She moved aside for Adam to come in, who looked around in interest. "Nice place," he complimented. His eyes landed on her guitar and he let out a breath. "Nice guitar."</p><p>"Thanks. You can sit down wherever. Feel free to play any of the instruments." She turned to leave, but abruptly stopped and spun around, pointing a finger at Adam. "If you damage anything I'm going to castrate you."</p><p>Adam put his hands up in surrender. Satisfied, Olivia went to get ready in the bathroom. She started blow-drying her hair, knowing that it'll take forever to dry on its own. After some time and an aching arm, sne brushed through her hair and decided to leave it down. She then went to her room to touch up her face. With the hair dryer off, she could hear Adam riffing on her guitar.</p><p>After putting on some makeup, Olivia went to the living room. There, she saw Adam sitting on the couch, playing a vaguely familiar song.</p><p>"What song?" She asked.</p><p>"A Team, Ed Sheeran. Do you know it?" He continued playing.</p><p>"Yeah, I do," Olivia replied, sitting down at her piano. After a few beats, she joined in. Adam looked at her, impressed. After playing a few more bars, they stopped.</p><p>"Well, do you know this?" Olivia started playing another song. Adam caught on quickly.</p><p>"Oh, Halsey? Yeah, this one's always on the radio." He joined in with the guitar.</p><p>They messed around some more before Olivia stood up and closed the piano. "Okay, I think we should get going. It's well past lunch time, and I'm famished. I promised I would show you the best hot chocolate of all of London, remember?"</p><p>Adam set her guitar on the stand. "Yeah, of course. My body is ready."</p><p>Olivia laughed. "Right. " She grabbed the same bag and jacket from before, and deliberately put her keys in her pocket. "Okay, Let's go!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>5.1.20; 6:32pm</p><p>woo new chapter huzzah</p><p>hope you enjoy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. ten</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>5.13.20; 4:13pm</p><p>happy birthday james!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Olivia sat in the cafe, leaning her elbows on the small, wooden table. In one hand, she held a steaming hot chocolate, and the other, a plastic fork.</p><p>The cafe was a homely place, bustling with businesspeople and families and all in between. The walls were a light oak colour, interrupted by windows that let the natural inside. The cold, grey and blue of the outside was the complete opposite of the warm, autumn shades of the inside. Olivia thought the windows looked like portals to a whole different universe.</p><p>She was snapped out of her daydream by the sound of a chair being dragged back and a cup setting on her table. She looked up at Adam, who was standing next to the chair with his hand set atop back, eyes staring at her food in disapproval.</p><p>"I'm seriously questioning your judgement." He sat down, setting down his sandwich on the table. "I mean, salad? With hot chocolate?"</p><p>Olivia looked down at her plate filled with different kinds of greens. She stabbed around with her fork and shoved it in her mouth.</p><p>"What? It's good!" She protested when she finished chewing. "I get it all the time."</p><p>Adam shook his head in mock shame. "Weirdo. I can't be seen sitting with you. I have a reputation to maintain!"</p><p>Olivia gave him an amused look, chewing another mouthful of vegetables. She noticed something- or, someone- at the door, and her eyes lit up in mischievous delight.</p><p>"Uh oh. I don't like that look. What is it?" He looked around until he found what Olivia was grinning about. "Oh."</p><p>"Well then. There goes your reputation, I suppose." Adam turned around to playfully glare at her, but she only laughed and shooed him. </p><p>"Go now, or you might actually ruin that reputation of yours." He rolled his eyes and turned his body around and was immediately greeted by a teenager with short hair.</p><p>"Hi! Somethingelseyt?" The kid gave a little wave and a nervous smile.</p><p>"Yeah, that's- that's me. Nice to meet you!"</p><p>"Oh, wow. Definitely very nice to meet you. Can I get a picture? And if it's not too much trouble, can you sign something for me?"</p><p>"Yeah, of course! Do you want me to hold the phone?"</p><p>The kid handed Adam a bright blue phone. Adam leaned closer and snapped a few photos, making dumb faces in some of them. After handing the phone back, the kid took out a pen and hesitated, before pulling out a small pride flag and a vidcon pass. "Can you maybe sign both of these things?"</p><p>Adam assured that it was okay and took the items. "Hey, what's your name?"</p><p>The kid looked conflicted. "Um, Noah. But can you sign the pass with Noami? That's the name my parents gave me, and they don't know- um."</p><p>Adam gave Noah an understanding smile. "Of course, Noah." He did as promised and handed the things to Noah, who smiled brilliantly.</p><p>He looked at Adam. "Thank you!"</p><p>They shared one more hug. Before he left, however, he glanced at Olivia curiously, who glanced at the flag, looked back at Noah, and smiled supportively. He cocked his head slightly, but smiled back hesitantly. Then he left, with a perk in his step.</p><p>"What was that?" Adam asked regarding that last moment. "Oh God, he didn't see your stupid salad, did he? My life is ruined."</p><p>Olivia laughed. "What do you have against my salad? Besides I'm pretty sure you just made that kid's entire week."</p><p>Adam looked back at the direction Noah left in. "Yeah, I hope so. He definitely made mine."</p><p>"Yeah?"</p><p>"Yeah. I mean, he told me before he told his parents. I'm honoured, really."</p><p>Olivia smiled contemplatively. "Some parents just can't accept it. Hopefully his parents are fine with it though."</p><p>"Yeah." Adam unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite. "Wow, this is pretty good. I honestly thought I would've lost my appetite from your salad."</p><p>Olivia exclaimed in offense. "Leave my salad alone!"</p><p>"Salad and hot chocolate, can you believe it?" He murmured under his breath, looking down at his sandwich. "There's something seriously wrong with you."</p><p>Olivia groaned and leaned back in her chair, slapping her hand over her eyes. "You are unbelievable, you know that? A sandwich and hot chocolate isn't much better, mate."</p><p>Adam gasped in offence, placing his hand over his chest. "Excuse me! It's delicious, unlike your salad."</p><p>Olivia sat back up with her mouth hanging open. "You literally have never tried it before."</p><p>"Don't need to to know that it's bad."</p><p>"Oh, stop it already."</p><p>They continued chatting and joking, both of them grinning ear to ear. The food in front of them slowly disappeared, and soon minutes turned into hours, plates and cups pushed to the side.</p><p>Olivia stopped to check her phone. "Oh dear, it's well into the afternoon now. I promised you I would take you around London. You don't reckon it's too late, do you?" She showed Adam the time.</p><p>Adam gave her phone a glance and shrugged. "It's barely four. We have time." He placed a closed fist against his chest and looked into the distance dramatically. "Show me all the wonders of the great London."</p><p>Olivia snorted. "Yeah, 'the great London'. We offer rain and old people and maybe fish and chips."</p><p>Adam pouted. "Fish and chips are pretty great. So are old people, I guess. But come on, show me your rich history. London tower? Big Ben?"</p><p>"They're basically the same thing."</p><p>"Oh. Well, still. The castle thing? And there's some bridge, right?"</p><p>"Palace. I can see you're very educated on my culture. But, whatever. Where do you wanna go?"</p><p>Adam grinned. "Surprise me."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>5.14.20; 6:54pm</p><p>Short chapter cause I wanted to get it out before James's birthday but also I'm suffering through a writer's block rn ahahaha funny kill me</p><p>anyways, cheers and hope you enjoy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. eleven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>6.12.20; 4:32pm</p><p>i,,, realise it’s been a month.<br/>whoops? writer’s block ahaha</p><p> </p><p>//i've made a horrible mistake i'm so sorry for the ones confused about why i uploaded the same chapter twice jdsdjaksjff</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You know, when I said surprise me, this really wasn’t what I had in mind.”</p><p>“If it were, it wouldn't be a surprise then, would it?”</p><p>“Fair enough.”</p><p>When Adam let Olivia take the reins of their little tour, he expected her to take them to all the historical, famous sites. The Tower, perhaps. One of those big castle-palace places. Or the big ferris wheel thing. But no.</p><p>“Madame Tussauds?”</p><p>Olivia beamed. “Yes! As your unofficial tour guide, it is my mission to bring you to all the most enjoyable places in London. I’m afraid there isn’t much to do at Big Ben besides stare and take pictures.”</p><p>Adam shrugged. “I guess that’s true. I would’ve enjoyed it either way.”</p><p>Olivia smiled hesitantly. “I mean, if you really wanna see a giant clocktower, then I’ll be happy to bring you there.”</p><p>He shook his head. “Nah, I trust you know your home better than I do. Besides, I’ve always wanted to go to one of these.”</p><p>Olivia stood taller. “Thanks! However, I haven’t been entirely truthful.”</p><p>Adam frowned. “What do you mean?”</p><p>Olivia pointed to her left. “You can’t see it from here, but a few blocks down there’s a Sherlock Holmes statue. Even further down there’s a museum.”</p><p>Adam raised an eyebrow. “You a fan?”</p><p>“Uh huh. I wanted to go there originally, but on the way here I thought maybe you wouldn’t know who Sherlock is. So, I was kind of freaking out like ‘holy shit I fucked up I’ve ruined his trip,’ but then I saw the Madame Tussauds. So. Yeah.”</p><p>Adam laughed. “You wouldn’t have ruined my trip! I mean, I wouldn’t call myself a big fan, but I’ve watched the series with Benedict Cumberbatch in it. We can go if you want! But I would actually like to see the wax statues, if that’s okay.”</p><p>Olivia nodded eagerly. “Of course! I’ve never been to this one, so it should be pretty fun.”</p><p>The pair found their way in and paid for their own tickets. They were greeted by an enormous set of stairs that led up to the main attraction. They walked around, occasionally taking photos of each other with celebrities they knew. Most of the photos were silly; imitating the statue, pretending to be photobombing, and many other ridiculous poses. They both fawned over numerous celebrities like Tom Hiddleston and Ed Sheeran. Olivia, in particular, couldn’t get over Freddie Mercury. Adam apologised to Barack Obama and they both grimaced over Donald Trump. They saw the Avenger’s 4D showing and Olivia happily put up with Adam’s obsession with Marvel.</p><p>It was a lot more fun than either of them expected, and perhaps it was due to the little fact of each other’s presence. They walked out of the wax statue museum giggling about a joke Adam made.</p><p>“Well then!” Olivia exclaimed, a smile lingering on her lips. “Onto the next stop!”</p><p>When they passed by the Sherlock statue, Olivia whipped out her phone to take a picture. Adam offered to take a picture of her standing with the statue, but she hesitated.</p><p>“I’d rather not, actually,” Olivia said sheepishly. “Not a fan of photos.”</p><p>Adam started to protest, thinking about how she seemed okay with photos before. He stopped himself when he realised that she hadn’t actually taken any pictures of herself with the wax statues, and he definitely didn’t remember taking any pictures of her.</p><p>He nodded in understanding. “That’s okay. If you change your mind, I’ll be happy to help.”</p><p>“Thanks.” They continued their walk, chatting quietly. Once they arrived at the doorstep of 221B Baker Street, Olivia stopped and stared in awe.</p><p>“Woah. I don’t know why, but I wasn’t expecting it to look so similar to the television show. Besides the-” she gestured to the line of people waiting for entry. “-that.”</p><p>Adam chuckled. “Yeah. Come on, let’s get tickets.”</p><p>They got on the treacherously long line and waited their turn. Luckily, Olivia’s presence seemed to shorten the wait. The moment they stepped in, it was clear to Adam that Olivia wouldn’t be able to contain her excitement. He didn’t blame her. If he were standing in Avengers Tower, he’d probably be freaking out as well. </p><p>Adam recognised a few items. The violin, for instance. The deerstalker hat, obviously. The main living room looked quite similar to the one he saw in the TV show. </p><p>He glanced at Olivia, curious to what she was doing. To his surprise, she was having an animated conversation with an older man wearing glasses and in a suit and top hat. He had an impressive, white mustache.</p><p>He assumed that was supposed to be Dr. John Watson.</p><p>Not before long, Olivia bid him a good afternoon and joined Adam again. She seemed to understand and know the meaning behind every object. Adam wasn’t sure why there was a knife pinning some letters on top of the fireplace, but Olivia looked at it endearingly. When Adam asked, she explained enthusiastically.</p><p>“This was in the show, you know,” she teased. Adam scoffed jokingly and said he’s seen no such thing. </p><p>Many of the items in the apartment were related to cases that Sherlock and Watson had solved. Olivia recognised many of them, but not even she could remember every single one. She blamed it on the fact that she hasn’t read the books in a while.</p><p>This museum experience was similar to the last, except for the fact that Olivia bore a resemblance to an overexcited puppy and Adam was confused most of the time. Nevertheless, it resulted in some hilarious moments.</p><p>“It’s a pipe,” Adam deadpanned. Olivia nodded rapidly.</p><p>“Yep!”</p><p>“But it’s just a pipe.”</p><p>Olivia stared at him incredulously. “It’s Sherlock’s pipe.”</p><p>They continued walking. Adam chuckled. “You’d probably be the only person that excited about a pipe.”</p><p>Behind them, a boy pulled his mother towards the glass case that Olivia and Adam were just standing over. “Look, Ma! Sherlock’s pipe!”</p><p>Olivia gave Adam a I-told-you-so grin and walked on. Adam rolled his eyes playfully and followed. </p><p>By the time they made it out of the museum, the sun was gone. The two stood in the gift shop, casual browsing the overpriced items. Adam picked up a deerstalker and put it on his head. He turned around to face Olivia the same moment she turned around to face him. She was holding a ridiculous t-shirt to her chest with her left hand and pretending to smoke from a pipe with her right.</p><p>“How do I look?” They asked at the same time. Adam snorted when he caught her appearance. </p><p>“Well, I think it’s safe to say that you look much more stupid than I do.”</p><p>Olivia beamed. “Why thank you!”</p><p>Adam ended up buying the hat. Olivia chose her own and also bought the pipe. Adam mentioned that it was getting late and they should probably eat. Olivia insisted that they ate at Hudson’s Old English Restaurant. </p><p>“She was my favourite character in the show,” Olivia supplied. </p><p>Adam readily agreed at her suggestion and they dined there. The food wasn’t bad- overpriced, but still pretty good. Once they finished their food, they both realised that there wasn’t anything else to do. The day was over. Their previously joyful conversation slid to an uncomfortable stop as they registered the fact that after today, there was a big chance that they wouldn’t see each other again. Olivia couldn’t go to Vidcon tomorrow, and Adam’s schedule was packed full.</p><p>“So,” Adam started. “It’s been really fun.”</p><p>Olivia gave a little laugh. “Yeah. It really has been. Thank you for that.”</p><p>Adam’s eyebrows rose. “No, I should be thanking you. If I didn’t meet you I’d probably still be lost.” Olivia laughed again. “And even if I weren’t lost, I would’ve spent all my time in my hotel room or at the convention. So, thank you.”</p><p>Olivia smiled bittersweetly. “No problem.” She studied Adam’s face. “Are you leaving immediately after Vidcon ends?”</p><p>Adam shared her smile. “Yeah. My flight is 4 hours after Vidcon ends, so I gotta leave for the airport immediately.”</p><p>Olivia put her elbow on the table and leaned on her hand. “We’ll stay in contact, yeah? Wouldn’t wanna lose my first American friend.”</p><p>Adam laughed. “Of course! I’ll make sure to text you so much you get too annoyed of it.”</p><p>“I’m counting on it.”</p><p>Olivia called a waitress over and paid the bill. Adam protested, but she argued, “It’s our last meal together. I’m paying. Besides, you gotta save your money for trashy airplane food.” Adam relented.</p><p>After paying, they stood up and left the restaurant. They stood next to the entrance, facing each other, with so many words in their minds and not sure which ones to say.</p><p>They both stood for a few seconds, trying to piece together a proper farewell. Olivia soon gave up and pulled Adam in for a hug, burying her face into his chest. He stood stunned for a whole second before returning it.</p><p>“I’m gonna miss you,” said Olivia, voice muffled in Adam’s shirt. “I know I’ve only known you for a whole two minutes, but I’m gonna miss you.”</p><p>Adam’s heart ached, even as he laughed. “I’m gonna miss you too, Liv,” he mumbled into her hair, using James’s nickname for her.</p><p>“Say goodbye to Jaiden and James for me, yeah?”</p><p>“Of course. They’re gonna be so sad that they won’t be able to say bye themselves.”</p><p>Olivia laughed, separating them slightly to look Adam in the face. Her arms remained around his waist. “I promise I’ll watch your videos.”</p><p>Adam faked a stern frown. “You better.”</p><p>After a few minutes, though it felt entirely too short to Adam, they pulled apart. Olivia shoved her hands in her pockets and looked at the ground, as if she was just realising what she did. </p><p>Adam sighed, catching Olivia’s attention. Her green eyes were piercing, and seemed so much brighter than they were the first time Adam saw them. They were also teary, though not as much as they were that day they met.</p><p>He never realised it before, but it hit him that Olivia was really, really stunning.</p><p>“You know, we met in the most unlikely of places,” Olivia mused. “Meet you again sometime?”</p><p>Adam caught his breath, finding himself again after getting lost in her forest eyes. He grinned.</p><p>“I’ll meet you again.”</p><p>Olivia exhaled slowly, letting go of his waist as he did the same. She turned around to leave, but Adam caught her arm and pulled her back around. He planted a quick kiss on her cheek and hastily let go, embarrassed.</p><p>Olivia’s cheeks reddened under the street light. There was a shy smile playing on her lips.</p><p>She leaned in and gave him a peck on the same side he kissed her. She grabbed his hand and gave it a quick squeeze, then dropping it and walking away.</p><p>Adam brushed his fingers against his face, where her lips were just a second ago. His cheek was hot to the touch, and it took him a minute to realise he was standing on the sidewalk like an idiot. When he finally gained his senses back, he caught sight of the John Watson impersonator on break, giving him an encouraging smile.</p><p>He smiled back hesitantly and gave him a small nod of farewell and walked away. He hailed a taxi and got in, telling the driver his destination.</p><p>He was so screwed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>6.16.20; 7:51pm</p><p>i was lowkey tempted to end it right there and give it a bittersweet ending and i'm still thinking about it</p><p>on another note, it's almost adam's birthday! happy early birthday hun</p><p>on another other note, again, i'm so sorry it took me so long to update. i've had no inspiration lately, but then i came across madame tussuads london on google maps and saw that the sherlock museum was like,,, right there. i had a holy shit moment and started writing. but,,,, sorry it took me three days to write it all gnjfbginkngo</p><p>anyways, if anyone is actually reading this, i'd love your opinion! i'm really thinking about ending the story on this note. i could always write a sequel afterwards. i just really like how this chapter ended, and it's a perfect ending to the story as well. of course, if i do end it now, i will write a epilogue. </p><p>cheers!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. end.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>6.17.20; 9:49am</p>
<p>Happy birthday adam :&gt;</p>
<p>it’s the end, y’all.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>9:07AM<br/>
Hey uh where do you work</b>
</p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>newrose’s bookshop<br/>
why?</i>
  </p>
</div><b>No reason<br/>Just curious</b><div>
  <p>
    <i>...okay<br/>
sure</i>
  </p>
</div><b>:)</b><p>Olivia read her latest text conversation with Adam for the umpteenth time, trying to figure out a hidden meaning that just didn't exist. By the end of today, he wouldn’t even be on the same continent. She couldn’t help but feel a certain longing and sadness that definitely wasn’t normal after knowing someone for not even three days. </p>
<p>She didn’t know what she expected. Something definitely happened yesterday, that much was obvious. She thought Adam would bring up the moment, but there was no mention of it.</p>
<p>It’s barely a minute long conversation, Olivia, she thought to herself. Stop overthinking it. She glanced at the clock. It’s been about five hours since he sent the text.</p>
<p>“Excuse me?”</p>
<p>The voice brought Olivia back to reality. A girl in a headwrap stood at the counter, holding two books.</p>
<p>Olivia smiled kindly at her and put her phone away. She stood up to the cash register and took the books from the girl. She got ready to scan the books, but saw a familiar name on the cover. Her smile reappeared. She looked at the girl, who was waiting patiently for her books. </p>
<p>“You a fan?” Olivia asked, unable to help it. The girl nodded, a grin splitting across her dark face.</p>
<p>“Yeah. I couldn’t go to Vidcon, which really sucked, so I thought I’d buy his books.” As she talked, Olivia scanned and bagged the books. “Are you a fan too?”</p>
<p>Olivia paused to consider. “Kind of? Not really. I haven’t watched any videos or whatever.”</p>
<p>The girl tilted her head, confused. “How do you know him?”</p>
<p>Olivia shrugged. “My friend introduced him to me, I guess. I do plan on watching his videos, though.” She glanced at the cash register. “That’ll be 16.23.”</p>
<p>The girl handed her a twenty, nodding in understanding. “My friend recommended him to me as well.” She frowned, taking the change Olivia handed her. “I’d love to meet James, but with my luck, that’s probably never gonna happen.”</p>
<p>Olivia smiled apologetically and handed her the small paper bag, heavier with books. “Hey, don’t give up hope. I’m sure it’ll happen someday.”</p>
<p>The girl took them and thanked her, turning and walking to the door. Before she could take a step, however, someone on the other side of the door pulled harshly on it, evidently not reading the “push” sign plastered on the door. After quickly realising the mistake, the stranger carefully pushed the door open. Behind him, three people peeked over his shoulder, giggling quietly.</p>
<p>Turns out, he wasn’t much of a stranger. Olivia and her customer stared in disbelief.</p>
<p>It was the girl who spoke first. “James? TheOdd1sOut?” When the three snickering friends walked in as well, the customer’s eyes got impossibly wider. She tore her gaze from them and looked at Olivia. “I think I’m gonna faint.”</p>
<p>James’s head snapped over to their direction. His eyes lit up when he caught sight of Olivia, but he addressed the girl first. He looked around, feigning confusion. “Who’s TheOdd1sOut?”</p>
<p>Jaiden smacked him on the arm. She gave the girl a warm smile and a wave. “Sorry about him, we usually just ignore him. What’s your name?”</p>
<p>“Brianna,” she said. “I’m a big fan. Of all of you.”</p>
<p>James, Jaiden, Adam and Rebecca all took their turns taking photos and signing Brianna’s newly bought books. She didn’t have a pen, but Olivia happily supplied her with one. The whole time, Olivia stayed back, not wanting to intrude on the girl’s special moment. Even so, she sometimes caught Adam’s eyes darting over to her. </p>
<p>Once Brianna finished taking her last photo with Rebecca, she looked at Olivia with an overjoyed grin. “Thank you!”</p>
<p>Olivia returned the grin. “I told you it would happen someday.”</p>
<p>Brianna laughed breathlessly. “Yeah, but who knew ‘someday’ was today?” After waving goodbye to the animators and Olivia, she left the store with a spring in her step. As soon as the door shut behind her, all of the attention went on Olivia.</p>
<p>“Uh, hey, guys,” she started, uncertain. She walked around the counter. “You know I’m working, right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, sorry about that,” Rebecca said. “But we couldn’t leave without saying goodbye in person!”</p>
<p>James nodded in agreement. “Adam’s shit delivery wasn’t gonna cut it. He was like, somewhere else completely. Barely noticed we were there.”</p>
<p>Adam scoffed and glared at him. “Was not.”</p>
<p>Jaiden snorted. “Sure.” she looked at Olivia again. “Our taxi is still waiting outside, and we don’t have a lot of time. I just wanted to say that it was really nice meeting you and I’m gonna miss you when we’re back in LA.” Jaiden went in for a hug, which Olivia returned immediately.</p>
<p>“Yeah, what Jaiden said,” Rebecca added. “The few hours we spent in James and Jaiden’s room together was really fun.” They shared a brief hug as well.</p>
<p>James started with a hug. Since he was much taller than Olivia, it felt like a bear hug to her. Even so, she returned it. After a few seconds, James showed no sign of letting go. Olivia laughed and patted his back awkwardly.</p>
<p>“Thanks, James,” she said. “I’ll miss you too.” He let go with a grin on his face.</p>
<p>“If I come to London again, the first thing I’m doing is breaking into your house,” he declared. Olivia chuckled and gave him her permission.</p>
<p>Last was Adam. He stood with his hands in his hoodie pocket, looking unsure of himself. Olivia thought she saw his cheeks grow redder, but it could’ve just been the light. At least, that’s what she’s telling herself.</p>
<p>“Well, when I said I’d meet you again, I wasn’t expecting it to be so soon,” Olivia started. She caught James and Jaiden looking at each other fondly.</p>
<p>Adam nodded, giving a small chuckle. “Yeah no, this doesn’t count. This is still goodbye, okay?”</p>
<p>Though she knew what he meant, she still felt a pang in her heart at the word “goodbye”. Truthfully, she couldn’t help but fear that as soon as he left, he’d stop communicating with her. After all, she was just a nobody that he knew for a few days. She wouldn’t blame him for it.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, she gave him a bashful smile. “Of course. I’ll be holding you to your promise.”</p>
<p>Adam nodded, unsure what to say. Olivia saw his arm twitch, as if he wanted to go in for another hug. Olivia decided to take matters into her own hands and strode up to him, wrapping her arms around him again.</p>
<p>“You know,” she mumbled, “I don’t think I’ve been hugged this many times at once before.”</p>
<p>James gasped dramatically. “Unbelievable,” he declared, and joined the hug. Olivia didn’t notice before, but his hand was holding Jaiden’s, pulling her into the hug. She yelped in surprise, but wrapped her other hand around Olivia. </p>
<p>“Group hug!” Rebecca exclaimed as Adam beckoned her to join as well.</p>
<p>After a minute, Jaiden spoke up. “Guys, as much as I wanna stay, I really don’t think we should keep the taxi driver waiting any longer. And Olivia needs to get back to her job.”</p>
<p>Reluctantly, everyone pulled away. After sharing their last goodbyes, the group left the same way they came. Olivia stood by herself, rubbing her arm and staring at the door. She’s going to miss them so much.</p>
<p>“Young lady,” said an elderly woman, startling Olivia to turn around. “Are you quite done?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>6.17.20; 1:54pm</p>
<p>-<br/>And that concludes part one. </p>
<p>holy fuck it’s done!! I honestly didn’t expect writing this story to take so long. i started on march 30th- it's been almost three months. granted, i didn’t write anything for almost a full month, but hey. that's just part of the writing process. at least that’s what i’m telling myself.</p>
<p>i’m quite proud of this story. there are bits that i’m not so fond of, and i know there’s still a lot of improvement i need to make, but when i compare this work to my previous ones (which are still up, yikes)//not anymore, past me!//, i’m really proud of the progress i’ve made thus far. there haven't been many people reading this story, but i’m still glad i wrote it. it kind of became a self-realising-or-whatever kind of story.</p>
<p>to anyone who is reading, i’d like your opinion. should i post a sequel to this? i think either way, i will be writing a sequel. but if no one’s going to read it, i don't see the point of posting it. please let me know!</p>
<p>this marks the end of a journey. Cheers!</p>
<p>// and, for my archive readers! sorry it took so incredibly long for me to upload this chapter- if i'm being completely honest, and i'm a bit ashamed to admit this, but i kind of, maybe, forgot to upload. whoops. </p>
<p>also- ao3 is a little weird in that every chapter says what chapter number it is. that doesn't work well for me, since this book starts with "zero" and not "one". also, i've got this chapter, titled "end", and the next chapter, titled "part two." this will totally mess up my chapters and i'm not sure how to fix it. chapter twelve, as it's supposed to be, is going to be chapter 15 here. so, for anyone who wants to go to wattpad and read this, or if anyone is coming from wattpad, after "part two", every chapter here is three chapters behind. does that make sense? i just mean, chapter twelve is chapter fifteen here, chapter 13 is chapter 16, etc etc. this is so confusing. if anyone knows how to fix this, please inform me! i'm new to ao3 and i have a lot to learn :)//</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. part two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>6.24.20; 9:02pm</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><div>
  <p>
    <i>-</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>On a lonely day thousands of miles apart,</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>Two people wonder if they'll ever meet again.</i>
  </p>
  <p>
    <i>-</i>
  </p>
</div>i mean by this point should i even bother<p>sue me i dare you (is a joke please don't)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>6.24.20: 9:27pm</p><p>-</p><p>is it pathetic that it took me 25 minutes to think up two lines it probably is yeah you're right</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. twelve</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>6.26.20; 11:09pm</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Yes, I understand, Mr. Burrows, and I'm really, really sorry. I promise I'll get it to you within this week."</p>
<p>He sighed, looking at her in exasperation and pity. "That's what you said last week, love. You know I like you a lot, Olivia, but you're not leaving me much of a choice."</p>
<p>Olivia gave him an apologetic smile. "I know, Mr. Burrows. I really appreciate what you've done for me these past few months."</p>
<p>Mr. Burrows patted her shoulder comfortingly. "I'll give you one more week. After that, it's out of my hands."</p>
<p>Olivia thanked him again, profusely, and waved him goodbye. She stepped out of the hallway and into her flat, slamming the door behind her and sprawling across the floor, ending up on her back with her hands covering her face. She groaned.</p>
<p>Olivia always knew Hailey carried the payment on their rent, but she didn't realise just how much.</p>
<p>Since her animator friends' departure from London about four months ago, Olivia's life has taken a slight turn for the worse. The minute her friends left the bookshop she worked at, the harsh reality of adult responsibilities hit her hard. She knew her £15 per hour salary wasn't enough to support the ridiculous £5,000 monthly rent of the apartment. It really was a very nice apartment, and Hailey was always fond of having the best she could afford. Together, they managed the rent easily and had plenty extra to save or spend. On her own, Olivia was- well. Absolutely screwed.</p>
<p>The first two months were alright. Together with her salary and her previously saved money, she got by. By the second month, though, it truly dawned on her that she wouldn't be able to stay here anymore. She started looking for flats nearby her workplace that's within a reasonable price, but she has yet to find one that suits her and her price range. The third month, she just about managed to scrape up enough money and paid the rent two days late.</p>
<p>By the fourth month, she was panicking. She started working an extra three hours. On her days off, she would head to a more busy area of her neighbourhood and perform for some extra cash. Usually, she'll bring her guitar and play until her fingers begged for a break. Sometimes, she'll join in with her voice. Occasionally, she would haul her folding keyboard out and give her fingers a rest. She had asked for an extra hour to work at the bookshop, but her boss could only shrug pitifully and inform her that there were no other shifts.</p>
<p>It was currently half after seven, about half an hour after she got home from work. She was exhausted and desperately wanted to stay on the floor, but her stomach cried louder. Olivia reluctantly heaved herself off of the floor and shuffled over to the kitchen.</p>
<p>She didn't consider herself much of a chef, but she did enjoy cooking for herself instead of dining out. Since leaving college, she had leveled up from microwave meals and cup noodles to homemade meals.</p>
<p>Olivia pulled her hair back in a half-hearted ponytail and opened her fridge, surveying what she had. There was a lone, sad-looking carrot, leftover rice from yesterday, milk, a cartridge of eggs, different green vegetables, some fruits, and a variety of other things. In the freezer side, there was a horrifying amount of ice cream for one person, some meats, a bag of frozen peas, and a giant half empty bag of frozen fries.</p>
<p>She reached for the leftover rice, an egg, the sad carrot, and her peas. Whilst balancing all the food in her arms and closing the fridge with her foot, her phone rang in her back pocket. She yelped, nearly dropping the ingredients. She quickly placed them on her kitchen counter and took her phone out of her pocket, glaring at it and the name it displayed angrily. She caught sight of her own face, sporting eye bags and messy hair. She tapped the green button and set the phone next to her carrot, putting it on speaker mode.</p>
<p>"Hello?" The deep voice emanated. A second later, a face appeared on the screen.</p>
<p>Olivia put her palms on the edge of the counter, leaning her weight on them. She craned her neck down, still glaring, though there was no heat behind her gaze. "You almost made me drop my food!"</p>
<p>Adam laughed, holding the phone close to his face. "Whoops. It's nice to see you too, Liv."</p>
<p>Olivia sighed, resigning. "It's nice to see you too, jerk."</p>
<p>For the past few months, Olivia and Adam had started doing facetimes regularly. They weren't everyday, but they were pretty common. Sometimes, Jaiden or James would join. Unfortunately, Rebecca wasn't able to join as often, but the few times that she can are always sweet and welcome.</p>
<p>Adam pulled the phone away from his face, looking as if he were deeply offended. "Wow. That hurts. Low blow, man."</p>
<p>Olivia rolled her eyes, picking up the phone and setting it upright on the wall. She opened a cabinet, searching for her soy sauce. "So. What's been happening? Any drama?"</p>
<p>Adam's eyes lit up as he nodded. "Yes, actually. Thurnis broke down my window."</p>
<p>Olivia's head whipped to her phone, soy sauce bottle in her hand. "He what?"</p>
<p>"I know. I ordered food online that day and the delivery guy rang the doorbell, but then Thurnis went and knocked down the window. Scared the shit out of me, must've been horrifying for that poor guy. He was nice though, he gave Thurnis a treat."</p>
<p>Olivia chuckled as she reached for the oil. "You better have given him a tip."</p>
<p>"Of course I did! I tweeted about it, didn't you see?" Adam set his phone down, propping it up on something. From the looks of it, he was also in his kitchen. It was probably around noon time for him, and he would have to eat lunch soon.</p>
<p>Olivia set her things down next to the vegetables. "No, I didn't. I don't exactly spend my time stalking you on twitter."</p>
<p>Adam snorted. "Uh, you should!" He sat down on a nearby stool. "So, how's it been over there in Lizzie Land?"</p>
<p>Olivia laughed dryly, heading to the sink to wash her hands. "I don't think I've ever heard an American call the queen Lizzie. But if you must know, it hasn't been so well."</p>
<p>He frowned. "You still haven't found a new place?"</p>
<p>Olivia sighed, shrugging uselessly. "No, not yet. I'm late for this month's rent, and I gotta pay it within a week."</p>
<p>Adam sucked in a breath, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "Yikes. Sorry about that."</p>
<p>"It's alright. I'll get by."</p>
<p>"Don't overwork yourself, okay? Or at least try not to." He heightened his voice, trying to sound like a pompous arse. "I'd hate it if my tour guide worked herself to death before she could give me a second tour."</p>
<p>Olivia's heart warmed at 'second tour'. She smiled. "Yeah, we don't want that happening. But there's not much I can do. I'd rather not get kicked out before I find another flat to live in."</p>
<p>Adam jumped up from his stool, now scourging his fridge. "Don't you have anywhere that you could crash at? Your parents? Any friends?"</p>
<p>Olivia scrunched her nose. "Definitely not parents. Friends though? I haven't really thought about it, actually. I think I just subconsciously didn't want to burden them." She grabbed her chopping board and set her carrot on top.</p>
<p>Olivia watched as Adam closed his fridge and looked through his cabinets. "Hey, you're not a burden. If I lived in London I'd let you stay in an instant." His arms dropped to his side as he frowned at his cabinets. He mumbled to himself, "Should I just order takeout?"</p>
<p>Olivia started dicing her carrots. "Thanks, when you suddenly move to London, I'll be sure to take you up on that offer. And you should cook with me! Show me your options."</p>
<p>Within their first week of facetiming each other, Olivia quickly learned that Adam wasn't so great at the food part of living on his own. He started telling her about his struggles in the beginning, but Olivia, red in the face, stopped him and told him that she had watched his video on it. She offered him some tips and he took them enthusiastically. He now had much better choices than just Doritos and takeout for food, but he still wasn't so great at the cooking part.</p>
<p>Adam picked up the phone and turned the camera, giving her a full view of his fridge. "I wanna use the salmon before it goes bad, but I don't know what to do with it. I don't even know why I bought it."</p>
<p>Olivia squinted, stilling her knife. "Go closer, Adam. And I'm pretty sure I recommended it to you." Adam obliged, and Olivia took a quick survey of his choices. "Are you a fan of honey garlic stuff?"</p>
<p>Adam turned the camera to his face. "Sounds pretty good. What do I need?" He took out the salmon.</p>
<p>"Uh, the garlic, obviously. Take two or three cloves. Those baby carrots, the butter, and the parsley. Oh, and that lemon. Show me your cabinets. You've got honey, right?"</p>
<p>Adam took the ingredients and shut the fridge. He put them down, and then showed her his cabinets. "Uh, duh. I wouldn't have agreed to 'honey garlic' if I didn't have honey."</p>
<p>Olivia rolled her eyes. "Okay, sass. Um, get the salt and pepper. And the olive oil- I think that's olive oil. Do you have cayenne pepper? The spicy red stuff?"</p>
<p>As Adam grabbed the condiments. He asked, "Why do you expect me to have cayenne pepper? Black pepper is as fancy as I get."</p>
<p>Olivia had resumed dicing her carrot, finishing within a minute. "Okay, that's fine. Uh, wash your hands first, obviously. Cut the salmon into two or three, whatever you prefer. Sprinkle the salt and pepper on it." She grabbed her skillet and turned on the stove.</p>
<p>Adam finished drying his hands. "How much salt and pepper am I putting on?"</p>
<p>Olivia deadpanned. "Enough to season the salmon? I dunno, I don't exactly take out the measuring spoons whenever I cook. Do like a pinch or two of each."</p>
<p>Olivia let her hand hover over the skillet, testing how hot it has gotten. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adam's salmon. "Hey, do a little more salt. Under seasoned salmon is gross." She poured her oil into the pan.</p>
<p>Adam did as told. "Okay, what now?"</p>
<p>"Mix the honey and lemon juice. Add in some salt and warm water too. Oh, and chop your garlic."</p>
<p>Olivia watched as Adam looked around in mock confusion. He then looked at Olivia. "Measurements, please?"</p>
<p>Olivia groaned. "Oh, I don't know. I guess, two spoonfuls of honey, and one spoonful of water and lemon each?</p>
<p>Adam shrugged and got a spoon. "I guess that's as specific as you're gonna get."</p>
<p>Olivia dumped her carrots and peas into the sizzling pan. She grabbed her spatula and started moving them around to prevent burning them.</p>
<p>Adam clinked his spoon on the side of the bowl. "Okay, done. Now what?"</p>
<p>"Uh, cook the salmon. I'd say, about a minute on each side? Then add the garlic, and after it turns brown, add in the sauce. It should be done when the sauce gets all sticky."</p>
<p>"Okay," he mumbled. "I hope I don't burn it."</p>
<p>Just before he put the salmon into the pan, Olivia glanced at her phone. Her eyes went wide. "Wait, stop!"</p>
<p>Adam looked at her like a deer caught in headlights. "What?"</p>
<p>If her hands weren't preoccupied, she would've face-palmed. "Adam, you need to grease the pan first. You know, with the oil."</p>
<p>Adam's eyebrows raised and his mouth dropped open into a silent 'oh'. He carefully put the salmon back down and drizzled oil into his skillet. "Whoops," he said, sheepishly.</p>
<p>Olivia chuckled and returned to her own cooking. After a minute, she dumped her rice into the pan. She added a little water to prevent it from becoming too dry. As she cooked, she heard Adam put his salmon into his pan. They fell into a comfortable silence, save for the sizzling, the crack of an egg, and the scraping of a knife against a cutting board.</p>
<p>As Olivia poured some soy sauce into her rice, Adam spoke up. "Okay, the sauce is in. How do I know it's sticky? Do I touch it?"</p>
<p>She scoffed, though there was a smile on her face. "No, you don't touch the burning hot salmon. It'll look sticky. But check the salmon to make sure it's not burnt. If it's like, golden brown, then just take it out."</p>
<p>After another minute, Olivia turned off the heat and poured the rice into a bowl. She yawned and rubbed her eye with the heel of her right palm, the hand that was holding the spatula. She put the skillet back on the stove, not feeling like washing it right now. She threw the spatula into the sink and grabbed her bowl, fork, and phone, holding her fork in her mouth.</p>
<p>She sat down at the dining table and propped her phone up on the tissue box. Adam had just finished the salmon and was putting it on the plate. "Okay, the salmon's finished. What about the carrots?"</p>
<p>"Put like, a kinda thick slice of butter into the pan and let it melt. Then just cook the carrots. Add some salt and pepper on them."</p>
<p>"You know," Adam said as he dropped the butter in the pan, "I don't really like carrots."</p>
<p>Olivia shoved a forkful of rice in her mouth and frowned in confusion. "Why'd you buy them?"</p>
<p>Adam waved the spatula in the camera. "Don't talk with food in your mouth, young lady. And I honestly have no idea."</p>
<p>"That seems to be a theme with you. But don't worry, these carrots are pretty good. You can add more honey if you want."</p>
<p>Adam nodded and got to work. Olivia poured herself a glass of cold water, hoping it'll keep her fully awake for a little longer. She watched as Adam piled the carrots onto his plate and brought it to a table. He grabbed a can of soda and his phone, setting them both down on the table. He finally took a bite of the salmon with a fork.</p>
<p>His eyebrows went up in surprise. "Not bad," he exclaimed after swallowing. "Not bad at all."</p>
<p>"Glad you like it," Olivia said before shoveling another bite into her mouth. "How are the carrots?"</p>
<p>He forked one and put the whole thing in his mouth, looking hesitant. "Oh! Actually pretty good!" He looked at Olivia, squinting. "Did you use witchcraft?"</p>
<p>She laughed. "No, but that would've been cool." She held in another yawn, not wanting to with her mouth full of rice.</p>
<p>Adam noticed. "What time is it there?" His voice was full of worry.</p>
<p>Olivia glanced at the clock. "It's just after eight. Not that late."</p>
<p>"Yeah, but you're like, barely awake. Are you sure working all those hours is okay? Like, seriously, you need a break."</p>
<p>Olivia smiled weakly. "I'm getting by. I'll be alright, thanks. Besides, I'll be able to go back to normal hours after I find a suitable flat. This hopefully shouldn't last any longer."</p>
<p>Adam nodded, though it looked like he wanted to press more. "Okay. Just, take care of yourself."</p>
<p>"Yeah. Will do."</p>
<p>They continued eating, talking about inconsequential things. Olivia finished before Adam, but she didn't hang up. She waited for him to finish, washing the dishes and listening to what he had to say. Before long, Adam finished his meal as well. As Olivia brushed her teeth and washed her face, he washed his dishes. There wasn't much talking during this time, but they enjoyed each other's presence, even if they were thousands of miles apart. Later, Olivia changed into her pajamas with her phone facing down. Adam said he was going back to work, which meant he was going back to sitting at his desk, drawing new animations. He gave her some sneak peaks, and explained his drawing process. He probably talked about something else, but the moment Olivia's head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.</p>
<p>Adam continued talking for another minute before noticing the lack of response on the other end of the call. He looked at his phone, but saw only a pitch-black screen- except for the little rectangle that showed his face. However, if he listened closely, he could hear light, even breathing.</p>
<p>He smiled endearingly. "Goodnight, Liv," he whispered, and hung up.</p>
<p>
  <b>6.28.20; 7:12pm</b>
</p>
<p>-<br/>Olivia and Adam stood on a stage, empty except for the single microphone in front of them. Their eyes surveyed their surroundings. There must've been over a hundred seats, but no one occupied any of them.</p>
<p>Olivia looked directly at the camera. Or, the readers, she supposes. She clears her throat and taps the mic a few times, wincing at the feedback.</p>
<p>"Uhm. Hello."</p>
<p>Adam nods in agreement. "Yes. Hello there."</p>
<p>Olivia looks at Adam, expecting him to start. He looks back dumbly.</p>
<p>She sighs. She looks back at the camera. "Right. So. I- er, Adam and I live in a fictional world," Olivia starts, giving a closed-lip smile. "Fictional. Very broad word, yes. But it basically means the world we live in is different from the one you live in."</p>
<p>"Yes, what she said," Adam continued. "And ours is just a little bit different. Just a smidge. Uh, for example, I went to London Vidcon and was sort of a featured creator and met Olivia here." He gestures to her with both hands.</p>
<p>"Mhm. Apparently I don't actually exist and am actually a figment of the author's imagination. That really helps my confidence, that. Great self-esteem booster."</p>
<p>Adam frowned. "I'm sure you're very important to the author."</p>
<p>Olivia shrugged. "Whatever. Anyways, in our fictional world, it is the beginning of May, 2020. Yes, 2020! May! Horrible time, really. Virus and everything. I'd be completely broke and homeless. Your poor souls are all stuck inside and all that."</p>
<p>Adam nodded. "I can't imagine how I'd deal with it. Probably would go insane. So, what we're trying to say here, essentially, is that there is no COVID-19 here. No virus at all. "</p>
<p>"Of course, the author could've just told you this in a few simple words, but she was feeling a tad bit dramatic and decided to write a whole skit about it. And it's missing an entire wall," Olivia continues, pointing to her left, which was wide open and showing the night sky.</p>
<p>"So yeah! That's about all. Stay hydrated, folks!" Adam exclaimed, stepping off the stage.</p>
<p>"Right." Olivia glared at Adam. "And make sure to wash your hands, social distance, and wear your masks!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>6.29.20; 12:59pm</p>
<p>lol i'm idiot</p>
<p>i would like to say that i am a s i a n and i eat r i c e with a f o r k</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. thirteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>7.5.20; 10:37pm</p>
<p>did a whole ton of research for this chapter :&gt;</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It wasn’t pleasant for Olivia when she woke up the next morning.</p>
<p>There was no warm, auburn sunlight shining through the windows and onto her skin. There was no gentle caress bringing her back into consciousness. No, Olivia woke up with a crick in her neck and a headache reminiscent of the one she had that time she got drunk at the bar she met Adam in.</p>
<p>Olivia noticed her legs were tangled in her grey sheets, which were hanging halfway off the bed. Her head was barely on the edge of her pillow and her pajama shirt had ridden up her stomach, leaving it exposed. She groaned and pulled the pillow over her face, trying to abdicate the headache. Unfortunately, all it did was make it harder for Olivia to breathe.</p>
<p>She gave up on trying to go back to sleep and shoved the pillow to the side of her bed, where Hailey used to sleep. Olivia remembered how she would wake up headache-free in the arms of the woman she loved, soft and content. She found herself daydreaming about how it used to be, how nice it was to love someone, how freeing it was to be completely open with someone she trusted her heart with.</p>
<p>How nice it was before she learned what a cheating bastard Hailey was.</p>
<p>Once again, Olivia told herself that her ex wasn’t worth her grief and shut it out of her mind. She forced herself to get up and go to the bathroom, leaving her blanket a tangled mess. After taking a quick shower and doing her morning routine, she walked back to her bedroom and checked her phone. It was about eight in the morning, May 10th. Today and tomorrow are her days off, meaning that she’ll spend the majority of the two days out busking for money. She lived in a pretty popular and touristy place, so usually business is pretty good. Unfortunately, the expensive rent- also known as the root of her problems- is also due to the reason that she lived in a higher-end neighbourhood with many shops and people. It also means the other flats near her and her job are also expensive- most of them much more than her current flat. She’d imagine it’s like Manhattan. Or, all the things she’s heard about the ridiculous prices on Manhattan apartments.</p>
<p>She decided that she’ll take her guitar. Though it makes her fingers hurt after a while, she’d rather not lug her keyboard to her pitch. Not today, anyways.</p>
<p>Olivia put on a knitted black turtleneck and a pair of soft, black leggings. She’s learned over her time busking that maximising comfort is the way to go. She put a pair of somewhat thick black socks and then tugged her damp hair out of the inside of her turtleneck, heading for the kitchen. Not feeling up to cooking, Olivia opted for some cereal instead. She took her time, scrolling on her phone as she ate. When she finished, she washed the dishes and headed back to her room.</p>
<p>She sat down at her desk and pulled the rectangular mirror closer to her face, starting to do her makeup routine. It usually consists of primer, a thin layer of foundation, some mascara and a little lipstick. She didn’t dare touch her eyebrows, since she wasn’t good with an eyebrow pencil. Or any kind of drawing utensil at all- she didn’t know how Adam did it. Recently though, she started using concealer to cover up the bruises under her eyes; eyes that have been greyer than usual lately. She may have gotten almost 12 hours of sleep, but it was a fitful sleep with lots of tossing and turning. Coupled with overworking and stress, the sleep didn’t do much for her.</p>
<p>Olivia put her makeup back into the desk drawer and went to the living room, where her guitar sat on a stand. She lifted it and transferred it into the guitar case expertly, having done this many times. She hauled it over to the entrance of the flat and momentarily propped it up on the wall. Today was a particularly cold day, so she put on her coat and dropped her wallet, keys, and phone in the pocket. She slipped on some running shoes and slung the guitar over her shoulder, locking the door behind her as she left.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When she arrived at Leicester Square Gardens at half past nine with a newly bought, steaming hot tea warming up her hands, people had already started milling about. There were couples walking hand in hand, a big family of six strolling happily, and a few other groups of people just enjoying themselves. Except for the homeless man sleeping on the floor with tears streaking his dirty face, perhaps. Olivia felt pity for him and gave him a few dollar bills. </p>
<p>She set up shop at her usual spot- a bench near the outliers of the park. There were a few other buskers around, some already performing and some, like her, only just arriving. However, there weren’t any musicians around her; it was an unspoken rule for them to give each other space. If any one musician was too close to another, their music would overlap and clash, leaving both unhappy. She found her spot after about two hours of wandering around, stopping to play and then leaving again when she wasn’t happy with the area. Since her pitch is closer to the streets, she gets a lot of people walking into the park. It’s pretty good business.</p>
<p>She unzipped her guitar case and laid it on the floor for tips. She took the guitar strap out of the front pocket of the case and attached it to the guitar. After settling the strap comfortably on her shoulders, she quickly tuned the instrument and gave it a few strums. She took a quick sip of her tea, which she set on the concrete flower pot, and started playing.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>7.9.20; 8:26pm</p>
<p>sorry for the short chapter and the long wait! i spent a pretty long time researching and bringing olivia's character more to life. like, where she lives (i've got an actual flat in leicester square that i'm using for the address- this is so i can say how long it actually takes for olivia to get to one place or another, instead of making up a number and risk it sounding unrealistic), her race, background, and much more :). i wanted to publish this chapter as soon as i finished, so it's mostly unedited. i read it over once, but if i missed anything, please let me know! Cheers!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. fourteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>7.17.20; 10:47pm</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>About two hours into playing, a reasonable pile of money had accumulated in Olivia’s guitar case. Her cup of tea was long empty and had been thrown in the trash. People really started trickling in after a little while, and most of them seemed to enjoy listening to her music, whether they were heading to work or just enjoying themselves on a nice stroll. </p>
<p>Olivia played every song she knew how. 90’s jams, rock, pop, anything. Sometimes fingerstyle, sometimes strumming. Most of the time, the songs she played were songs she learned beforehand and had rehearsed. However, as she got used to busking, she would sometimes play songs that she knew and liked, completely improvised. She knew the tune and the chords, so it wasn’t too hard to string together a simple melody. They weren’t as fluent as her rehearsed songs, but she enjoyed doing them anyways. Playing the same few select songs would become boring over time.</p>
<p>She also started writing up her own tunes and songs. Before she hadn’t been too interested in songwriting, but inspiration had struck and now she found herself writing whenever she had the time. Also, she hoped her works could help her land a job in the music industry- even if her current situation doesn’t give her much leeway. Many beginning jobs in the music industry didn’t pay much, and they were hard to get. Some of her works were simply guitar solos and melodies. Others were more meaningful and had lyrics personal to her. </p>
<p>She was currently strumming casually. She switched from standing to sitting about 50 minutes ago and was playing a light, playful tune that had come off the top of her head. Olivia had been playing full songs for most of the morning, and decided to give herself a small break. Besides, countless miserable-looking office workers had passed by and looked like they really needed a simple tune. </p>
<p>Speaking of, a lady wearing a blazer and pencil skirt dropped a few pounds into Olivia’s pile, smiling wearily. Olivia nodded in thanks and gave her a smile back, trying to silently convey reassurance and luck for the rest of her day.</p>
<p>A few minutes after the lady left, someone in a red puffy jacket sat down next to Olivia and scooted closer, avoiding the neck of her guitar. The person herself was holding a saxophone case, and she was smiling smugly.</p>
<p>“Liv Promengale!” she exclaimed. “Before my very eyes! I’m your biggest fan. Can I get an autograph?”</p>
<p>Olivia scoffed, though a smile threatened to creep up her face. “Bugger off, June. I’m trying to work here.</p>
<p>June put a hand to her mouth, gasping. “Oh dear. The fame has gotten to her head. There’s no hope for her now.”</p>
<p>June was, surprisingly, the only saxophone player in the park. She also happens to be extremely energetic and extroverted. While Olivia was trying to keep to herself and avoid any conflict with the other buskers, June had immediately noticed the new, familiar musician and reintroduced herself immediately. Her skin was tanned olive from all the hours spent in the sun busking. Her hair was black and stick straight, reaching to the bottom of her shoulder blades. She often complained about how her Asian hair couldn’t keep a curl for its own life. She had dark chocolate doll-like eyes with long, dark eyelashes- though they have the same problem her hair has. Her mouth was small but her lips were plump, and her soft jaw brought her features nicely together. Finally, she had larger than average ears that she was very proud of. In her culture, big ears were considered lucky. However, she mainly just enjoyed having a lot of space for more ear piercings.</p>
<p>June and Olivia shared many of the same classes back in university. They both chose musical performance as their major and are quite skilled in their primary instruments. Olivia’s being piano and guitar, and June’s being saxophone and drums. They didn’t have the opportunity to really get to know each other and become friends in school- they were occasionally partnered up and Olivia had seen June’s small, 5’1 figure carry around giant brass instruments from time to time. It was pure luck that they met again and became the closest of friends.</p>
<p>Olivia rolled her eyes. “Nice to see you too, I think.”</p>
<p>June smiled wider, showing off all her teeth. “It’s always nice to see me. Wanna play?”</p>
<p>Olivia nodded and adjusted her capo. “As if I’d ever say no.”</p>
<p>After a week of knowing each other, Olivia and June started playing together sometimes. Since they were both very proficient at their respective instruments, it wasn’t hard to fall into tune with each other. Still, after a few days of improvising, they agreed to meet up at Olivia’s flat to rehearse songs and have a solid hour of music they could play. It was much more fun to play with a friend, and they always seemed to earn a bit more money together. Also, June says that she wants to play in a band, and playing with others is always good practice. </p>
<p>June took her saxophone out and set her case next to Olivia’s. She rearranged the change lying haphazardly in her case into a small mound to signify that she and Olivia were not sharing money. They made small talk as they tuned their instruments and decided that in an hour, they would eat a fast lunch and take a quick break to the toilet. It would be just before lunch hour starts, and they didn’t want to miss the wave of people on break or looking for food.</p>
<p>They started off with covers of songs, dueting both their instruments and voices. Half an hour in, they had attracted a small crowd- little kids with their parents, teenagers holding their phones up, and anyone else in between. They got a few requests, and thankfully, they knew most of the songs. June and Olivia silently conveyed to each other and started playing a song that they wrote together. It was an unfinished draft of Olivia’s, but with June’s help, they completed the song. June often referred to it as their baby, as it is the first song that they’ve ever written with someone else. It was a lovely song, with a flowing melody and an equally soft harmony. Of course, it featured a sax solo and perhaps had slight Ed Sheeran mixed with Gotye vibes.</p>
<p>At the end of this song, the slightly-bigger-crowd clapped respectfully and a few gave a tip. The musicians smiled and thanked them quietly. June glanced at her watch quickly and looked back up at Olivia.</p>
<p>“One more song?” She mouthed. Olivia frowned, pursing her lips in confusion. </p>
<p>She shook her head. “June. You’re right next to me. You can whisper.”</p>
<p>June rolled her eyes. “You’re no fun. One more song?” A teenager snickered in amusement.</p>
<p>Olivia nodded and started the beginning of a Led Zeppelin song. June quickly caught on and started playing at her part. The eight minute song was pretty laid back, even in its length, and it was over quickly. June took a dramatic bow, earning her a few giggles from younger children. Olivia thanked them once more and started packing. The gathering of people started leaving, and some of the newcomers left some change. </p>
<p>After packing everything up, Olivia and June stood up straight, carrying their respective instruments. June flicked her ponytail off her shoulder. </p>
<p>“The usual?” She asked, referring to their usual lunch spot. Olivia agreed.</p>
<p>“Yeah, let’s go. I’m dying for a drink!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>7.19.20; 10:45pm</p>
<p>describing music is the hardest thing ever in writing what the ever loving cabbage,,,, and now my mom thinks i wanna start learning sax from all the research i did (but honestly doing this chapter has made me wanna pick up guitar again. for like, the fourth time.)</p>
<p>also!! what do you think of june??? let me know !!! if you want !!! cheers !!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. fifteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>7.26.20; 5:02pm</p><p>i thought i was getting more responsible and then i pull the shit i pulled 💀</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Ugh, my god. So good. If I had a dick I’d totally be creaming my trousers right now.”</p><p>Olivia recoiled from her sandwich, frowning in disgust. “Ew. June. No.”</p><p>June took another massive bite from her own sandwich. “What? It’s true,” she attempts to say, though it proved difficult with a mouth full of food. </p><p>Olivia managed to understand what her companion was saying, and she rolled her eyes in retaliation. “Keep your kinks to yourself, mate. You’re ruining my appetite.” She frowned. “Thinking about it now, I’m pretty sure I said the same thing last time as well.”</p><p>A silly grin plastered itself on June’s face. “You love it. And if you do lose your appetite, I’m happy to take that sandwich off your hands. No charge.”</p><p>Olivia bit into her sandwich, swallowing before speaking. “Ah. I see what you’re doing now. You just want to steal my food. Worst friend ever.”</p><p>June took a quick sip of her orange soda and stuck her tongue out. She shoved the rest of her food into her mouth, and after finishing swallowing it, she frowns down at her empty hands. “I’m kind of regretting devouring the sandwich now.” She closed her eyes, sniffing. “I should’ve savoured it,” she whispered, wiping away a nonexistent tear.</p><p>Olivia finished chewing another bite. “You’re impossible,” she sighed, sipping her ginger ale. She spent another minute finishing up her sandwich. She quickly checked her phone- they had spent just under 15 minutes eating. </p><p>She stood up, throwing her trash into the bin next to her. She clapped her hands twice. “Come on. Toilet break!”</p><p>After doing their business, the girls went back to the park and set up once again, in a different spot. They made idle conversation as they worked.</p><p>June brought up a question after a minute. “I’ve been meaning to ask- have you found a new place yet?”</p><p>Olivia sighed, attaching her guitar strap to her guitar. “No, not yet. I’m late for rent again, but Mr. Burrows gave me another week. I’m barely scraping by, but I’m managing.”</p><p>June patted her shoulder sympathetically. “You know my flat is always open to you.”</p><p>Olivia smiled gratefully. “I know, but I don’t want to be a bother to you or your roommate. If I run out of options, though, I might take you up on your offer.”</p><p>June smiled back, thankful to know that her friend wouldn’t force herself into homelessness due to guilt. “You’re never a bother. You’re like, my half sister.”</p><p>“Half sister?”</p><p>“Yeah! Half Asian sister.”</p><p>“I’m half Vietnamese.”</p><p>“And I’m full Chinese. Half Asian sister!” June huffed. “What I’m trying to say is, even though we haven’t known each other long, you’re basically family. You’re always welcome to my home and you’ll never be a bother. Matt might think otherwise, but he’s an asshat.”</p><p>Olivia laughed, chest filling with warmth, even on this cold day. “Why do you live with him?”</p><p>The saxophone player shrugged. “He pays his half of the rent. I don’t appreciate it when he uses up all the hot water or brings over random girls, but I deal.”</p><p>Olivia stood up, guitar weighing down on her shoulders. She adjusted the strap until they sat comfortably. “I don’t think I could deal with that. But, come on. People are gonna be coming in full force soon.”</p><p>And so they played together, filling their part of the part with their music. They continued even as lunch hour ended- a few hours later, people, especially kids, would be leaving work and school. Business went pretty well today, which was a pleasant reprieve and made the hours of playing worth it. That, and the fact that a lot of people really seemed to enjoy the music. </p><p>Sometimes they sang, sometimes they didn’t. At around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, both of their voices were feeling weary. Not wanting to push themselves over their limit, they stopped singing completely. They moved spots, and used their instruments only to produce sweet melodies.</p><p>About an hour later, Olivia and June decided to pack up. While she wasn’t sure how long June had been busking today, Olivia had been here since nine in the morning and her fingers were really starting to protest. Before they parted ways, Olivia’s phone rang.</p><p>June perked up. “Who is it?”</p><p>Olivia dug her phone out of her pocket. Adam’s name accompanied by a devil emoji displayed across the screen.</p><p>June gasped. “Devil emoji! You’re talking to Satan! Oh, or he’s really really cool. Wait. Is he your booty call?”</p><p>Olivia choked on air. “June!”</p><p>She feigned innocence, though the mischievous grin betrayed her true intentions. “What? Is it a she? I don’t know why anyone would name their daughter Adam though- or maybe it's they- oh, come on, pick up, it’s gonna go to voicemail!”</p><p>Olivia smacked her hand to her forehead and dragged her fingers back through her hair, exasperated. She hit the green button and put the phone up to her ear. “Hi, Adam.”</p><p>June grabbed Olivia’s forearm. “Ay! Put it on speaker,” she whispered. “I wanna hear!”</p><p>Olivia ignored June for the moment, listening to Adam. “Olivia! Hey! You busy at the moment?”</p><p>June switched positions, now standing in front of Olivia with her hands pressed against each other. Her eyes were puppy-dog like and she was mouthing over and over again, please please please please please?</p><p>Olivia rolled her eyes, but June’s act made her smile and Olivia obliged. She brought the phone down from her ear and put it on speaker mode.</p><p>“No, not at the moment. You alright?” June gave her a bright grin and moved next to Olivia, shoulder to shoulder.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s James’ birthday in like, four days, but he’s gotta go to a convention from the 12th to the 15th. So we’re gonna celebrate tomorrow at his house, with his friends and family.”</p><p>June’s eyes widened. “Woah, American.”</p><p>“Uh, what?” Olivia could hear Adam’s confusion through the phone. Olivia glared at June, who blew a raspberry back.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it. What were you saying?”</p><p>“Right. So, we’re gonna celebrate tomorrow at around ten at night, LA time. If you’re free at that time, we could video call you? So you can kind of be at the party?”</p><p>June stopped staring at the phone to look at Olivia. “Ooh, party. Aren’t you popular?”</p><p>Olivia deadpanned as Adam said, “You sure you’re not busy right now? I can call you back.”</p><p>“No no, not busy,” Olivia replied as she flicked June in the nose. “Just my friend. Being an absolute twat at the current moment.”</p><p>After hearing an offended “Hey!” from the other line, Adam laughed. “They can come too, if they want. But I guess it’s kind of your apartment so it doesn’t really matter what I say.”</p><p>June squealed. “Oh em gee! I totally just got invited to a virtual party by some random American. It wasn’t on my bucket list, but I’m crossing it off! Liv, you have such great taste in friends. I’m June, Random American!”</p><p>Adam snickered on the other side of the line. “Adam. And yeah, she does.”</p><p>Olivia groaned. “No, I don’t. I can’t have you guys teaming up on me. And Adam, I’ll be there. I don’t have work tomorrow, but if I oversleep just call me until I wake up, I guess.”</p><p>“Great! See you then! Nice meeting you, June!”</p><p>“Nice to meet you too Adam!” she replied cheerfully.</p><p>Olivia smiled, shaking her head, even though Adam couldn’t see it. “Right. Bye!” </p><p>She hung up, and gave June a glare with no heat behind it. June smiled back innocently. Then she suddenly gasped, looking even more excited than she did a moment before.</p><p>“Sleepover?” She asked. </p><p>Olivia shrugged. “Sure. 10PM there is like, really early morning here? So, yeah. If you want to. You can borrow my clothes and I should have a spare toothbrush, but if you’d rather go back home and-”</p><p>June cut her off. “No need! We’re going straight to your house. I haven’t had a sleepover since Year 11!”</p><p>Olivia sighed, grinning at her overeager friend. “Okay, okay, let’s go!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>7.30.20; 6:22pm</p><p>-<br/>I’m pretty sure i was gonna mention something important but i can’t for the life of me remember so if i do remember i’ll just comment it</p><p>Otherwise thanks for reading sorry it took so long n take care of yourselves &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. sixteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>8.9.20; 2:18pm</p><p>prior to writing this, i went downstairs to get a drink. i fell down the stairs.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Upon entering Olivia’s flat, June set her saxophone down beside the door frame and beelined towards the couch. She promptly face planted into the cushion, groaning as she did so.</p><p>“Liv, help. I think my bones are exiting my body. I feel like mush. But like, an aching pile of mush.”</p><p>Olivia chuckled, closing the door behind her. She toed off her shoes and laid her guitar case on the floor, unzipping it and taking out the guitar. After setting it in its stand, she counted the money she made and organised it, sticking it in the big glass jar that sat on the side table beside the door. It was pathetically empty.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m tired too,” she drawled as she stored away the guitar case. She glanced at her friend. “But your bones are definitely still in your body.”</p><p>June flipped around so that her neck was resting on the couch’s armrest and her feet were propped up on the other. She winced at the light and flung her arm over her eyes.</p><p>“I’m gonna sleep now,” she declared.</p><p>Olivia shrugged off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack. She turned around to face June, leaning on her right leg with her right hand planted on her hip. “It’s half past four. And you’re not sleeping on my couch with your shoes on.”</p><p>June abruptly sat up. “Right, yeah. Shoes. Forgot about them, sorry.” </p><p>“It’s alright,” Olivia replied with a small smile. The saxophone player dragged her feet as she made her way towards Olivia. After taking off her shoes, June returned to her previous position, but sat up a little straighter and pulled her legs closer to her chest.</p><p>“So, what do you wanna do?” Olivia asked. “I need to take a shower.”</p><p>June nodded. “Yeah, me too. You go first. And then I’d like to catch up on all the marvel movies I missed so that I can watch Black Widow in theatres. I’m not missing this for the world!”</p><p>Olivia’s eyes lit up in excitement. “Ooh, yeah. I never got around watching Far From Home.”</p><p>“I know! And it’s been like, ten months! Go go go go go!”</p><p>“Okay, okay!” Olivia exclaimed as she headed towards her room. “Don’t set the place on fire!”</p><p>“I’ll try!” was the muffled reply.</p><p> </p><p>After both women showered, they ended up back on the couch, wearing soft pajamas and slightly damp hair- or, in Olivia’s case, very damp, not blow-dried hair wrapped in a cotton towel that was most definitely too thin for it. Olivia was sitting up straight with her feet propped up on the coffee table, and June’s back was leaning on the armrest with her legs over Olivia’s. There was a box of pizza and two cans of beer in front of them. They both held a slice in their hands, eating as they watched their third movie of the day. Olivia was fully engrossed in the movie and Ryan Reynolds’ spectacular acting, but June was staring at her friend, contemplating, slowly chewing on her pizza.</p><p>“Hey, Olivia?” she asked through a mouthful of food.</p><p>Olivia’s eyes darted to her friend’s. “Yeah?”</p><p>June swallowed. “Do you think you might be ignoring your issues?”</p><p>Olivia raised her eyebrow, picking up and taking a sip of her beer. “Pardon?”</p><p>“It’s just,” June put her half-eaten pizza in the box, “you broke up with your girlfriend of four years a few months ago and from what you told me you really, really did love her. Like if I found out my girl was cheating on me after years of solid relationship I’d be pretty wrecked, you know? Even after four months. And you’re kind of acting like nothing really happened, like she wasn’t an important part of your life for a really long time.”</p><p>Olivia tapped her finger against the side of the cold aluminium. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”</p><p>June sighed. “Yeah, I know, and I really don’t want to pressure you into telling me things you’re not comfortable with, but I’m worried about you. It’s healthy to mourn and we all cope in our own ways, but ignoring the problem isn’t going to solve it.”</p><p>Olivia frowned. “I haven’t really realised that I was ignoring the problem. I just didn’t want to deal with all the emotional baggage because it leaves me pretty useless to myself.”</p><p>June smiled comfortingly. “Well, right now you don’t need to be useful. If you’re up to it, I’m happy to listen.”</p><p>Olivia smiled back. “Thanks, mate.” She sighed. “I guess I’ve been wanting to pretend that it was all so sudden, that the relationship was steady and strong and all of a sudden Hailey decided to cheat on me. But I’m not fooling myself. We were going downhill for most of last year. Little things- we didn’t peck each other on the forehead when we woke up anymore. I stopped waking up early to cook breakfast for her and see her out on her work days. She stopped cuddling me at night.” </p><p>She sniffed and downed the rest of her beer. “Actually, she slowly stopped showing affection altogether. Before the end of our relationship I was initiating all the kisses and hugs and shit like that. And we stopped having sex. I didn’t notice at first, but the gap between us had grown so big I felt like I couldn’t reach her at all- even if she was sleeping right next to me. It’s kind of pathetic, honestly.”</p><p>June lifted her legs off Olivia’s and scooted closer, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not pathetic.”</p><p>Olivia shrugged. “It’s kind of sardonic, but I feel like if she broke up with me, I wouldn’t have been so surprised. It was the cheating bit that got me. I never expected Hailey to be that kind of person, and with my friend, at that.” She turned to look at June. “You remember Locke from Seminar, last year?”</p><p>June’s eyebrows shot up. “The one who was stupid talented with makeup?” She whistled lowly when Olivia nodded.</p><p>“Yeah. I thought he was really cool and chill, but I guess not.” Though she’d been trying to keep it down, Olivia started feeling the telltale pressure behind her eyes that indicated incoming waterworks. She sniffed again.</p><p>“The biggest part of it all is that I still can’t believe that two of my most closest friends would do that to me. Like, is my judgement really bad or am I just that unlikable? What did I do that made Hailey feel like she couldn’t talk to me upfront and choose to go behind my back instead?” </p><p>She gave a watery laugh. “You were right, you know. It hurts. It really fucking hurts and I’ve been ignoring it all but who am I kidding? No matter how much I ignore I’m always going to be aware of the fact that someone I loved more than myself couldn’t love me back in the same way. And sometimes I can’t help but imagine what would’ve happened if, in those last few months, I did something about the distance between us. If I reached out and talked to her about the elephant in the room that neither of us wanted to address. Maybe if I fully understood how she was feeling, I could’ve helped her and helped us and fix whatever was going on between us.”</p><p>Tears really started falling out of those eyes like a forest on a cloudy, rainy day. June’s own chocolate eyes melted and she pulled her distressed friend in for a hug.</p><p>“It wasn’t your fault,” she mumbled into Olivia’s damp hair. “She made her choice. It wasn’t a good choice, but she made it. She decided it was okay to cheat on you, which will never be okay and was a very shit move, but what can you do about it, you know? We can’t go back in time, and personally, I wouldn’t want to go back and fix it if I knew my partner would cheat on me. We can only move forwards and accept what has happened.” She rubbed Olivia’s back, hoping to calm her down. “It might be hard, but you’ll overcome it because you’re a badass bitch and nothing will change that.”</p><p>Olivia laughed weakly. “Thank you, June.”</p><p>“And you don’t have to tough it alone. You’ve always got me. And if somehow I’m not available, you have other friends who should be more than happy to help because if not then fuck them. I’m sure your American hook-up would be glad to lend an ear. He seemed pretty cool.”</p><p>Olivia made an affronted noise, but a small smile was on her face and her tears were slowing. “He’s not a hook-up, you twig.”</p><p>June squeezed her friend in return. “Whatever you say.”</p><p>Olivia pulled back from the hug, wiping her tears away with her sleeve. “Right, okay.” She sniffed again. “I wanna get pissed drunk and regret it in the morning. You in?”</p><p>June grinned. “I’m in.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>8.10.20; 11:40pm</p><p>-</p><p>Emotion-heavy dialogue-heavy chapter, i know. I really wanted to touch upon liv’s issues, since it hasn’t been brought up that much. remember, she literally met adam right after being dumped. sucks.</p><p>A few other completely unrelated and unimportant points- i realised that black widow would’ve been out in theatres because there’s no covid, and was instantly jealous and decided to include it in. also, i love ryan reynolds. that is all.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. seventeen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>8.18.20; 11:01pm</p><p>I realised i messed up the LA/London time zones, and I just fixed it. James’s “party” is at 10PM, which is 6AM for Olivia.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Olivia woke up feeling like her head was stomped on repeatedly by the Hulk. Or like Iron Man had shot her in the forehead with his repulsors. Or like Deadpool had somehow gained a vendetta towards her and ran a katana straight through her skull.</p><p>She definitely watched too many Marvel movies last night.</p><p>Her eyelids felt like sandpaper against her eyes as she blinked them open. She winced against the sunlight pouring through her window (why are her curtains always drawn?). She decided to close her dry eyes and attempt to go back to sleep.</p><p>
  <i>James’s birthday party.</i>
</p><p>She abruptly sat up, cursing when the dull ache running through her skull became a sharp throbbing. It brought tears to her eyes.</p><p><i>Well</i>, she thought satirely, <i>at least my eyes don’t feel like Death Valley anymore.</i></p><p>The blanket on her shoulders slid down, and a wave of cold air hit her chest. Her very, naked chest. Her hands came up to cup her breasts.</p><p>“Why am I naked?” she whispered to herself, horrified. Her chest left vaguely sticky. She fumbled for her phone, pouting at the red battery bar. The phone read 7:09.</p><p>“Oh, shit,” she mumbled. She quickly plugged her phone to its charger and ran to the bathroom, wincing as each footstep shot a jolt of pain to her head. Once reaching her destination, she popped an ibuprofen in her mouth and jumped in the shower after stripping her pajama pants. She washed the stickiness off her chest and left the shower stall within five minutes. She did her morning routine in record time- leaving her hair loose over her shoulders and her face bare save for moisturiser.</p><p>“June!” She yelled as she pulled her head out of a red, long sleeve shirt. “June!” There was no response. Olivia huffed and threw on a pair of grey sweatpants, grabbing her phone. She ran out to the guest room, where she assumed her friend was sleeping. She couldn’t quite remember how the night ended.</p><p>Sure enough, June lied on the bed, arms flopped to her sides and a leg hanging off the bed. The blanket was barely on the bed, and the girl sleeping snored quietly with her mouth wide open.</p><p>“June!” Olivia called again, shaking her by the shoulder. “Wake up, you dolt.”</p><p>June mumbled quietly, but didn’t wake up.</p><p>This wasn’t going to work. Olivia took a few steps back, and ran towards the bed, jumping on June’s prone body. She startled, yelping in surprise.</p><p>“Wh- Fuck! Huh?” June blubbered. “The shit’s going on?”</p><p>“June, June June June, get up, let’s go, wake up, we’re late!” Olivia got back up. “Come on. We’re late.”</p><p>June rubbed her eyes, groaning. “God, this headache. I’m such a lightweight.”</p><p>Olivia winced. “Oh yeah. Sorry, mate. There’s ibuprofen in the bathroom, cabinet behind the mirror. I’m gonna call Adam now.” She hurried out the door, leaving her disoriented friend behind. She propped her phone up on the wall behind her kitchen counter, where she usually puts it when facetiming Adam. She quickly dialled Adam’s number and grabbed two plates from the dishrack. Adam picked up on the second ring. Or, Olivia assumed it was Adam. She turned back to the phone. </p><p>“Hey Adam, I’m so- James?” She didn’t know why she was so surprised. It was his party, after all.</p><p>“Olivia!” James cheered. “Hi! Welcome to the party, it’s so nice to see you!”</p><p>Olivia smiled. “Happy birthday, James! It’s nice to see you too. Sorry I’m late.”</p><p>He waved her off. “Thanks! And don’t worry about it. No one should have to wake up at the ungodly hour of six. And Adam told me you were completely wasted last night, so I’m surprised you’re even up at seven.”</p><p>“I guess,” Olivia relented, blushing. She grabbed some bread from the pantry. “Where’s Adam? Why do you have his phone?”</p><p>James shrugged. “He’s in the bathroom. I’m snooping.”</p><p>“You know his password?”</p><p>James scoffed. “Of course I do! He told me, because he trusts me as his best friend.”</p><p>Olivia threw him a look from where she stood at the fridge, holding two eggs, ham, and lettuce. “Uh huh.”</p><p>James smiled sheepishly. “I looked over his shoulder when he unlocked his phone. Not my fault he wasn’t using his face.” he squinted. “What’re you doing?”</p><p>“Cooking breakfast.”</p><p>“Ooh. What kind of breakfast?”</p><p>“The edible kind you eat in the morning.”</p><p>It was James’s turn to give Olivia a look. “Haha, funny. Really. What are you cooking?”</p><p>Olivia put a pan on the stove and turned on the gas. “Sandwich. Egg, ham, and lettuce. Wish I had cheese, though.”</p><p>James groaned. “That sounds kinda good, actually. And I know you’re a great cook, so it’s probably really good.”</p><p>Olivia frowned at her phone. “Aren’t you guys partying right now? You probably have much better food than I do.”</p><p>James glanced back at what Olivia assumed was the food table. “Yeah, the cake is pretty nice. And the nachos. But we don’t have homemade sandwiches cooked by our English friend.”</p><p>“You flatter me,” Olivia said as she grabbed her small jug of oil and poured some into the pan. As she waited for it to heat up, she stuck two slices of bread into the toaster. Behind her, she heard footsteps coming her way.</p><p>Olivia turned around and saw her friend in the same pajamas from last night and slightly mussed hair. “June! Finally.” she turned back to her phone. “James, this is June. She’s an asshat but otherwise she’s alright.” She looked at June, who approached the counter and now stood next to her, glaring. “June, this is James. American Stranger number two and our birthday boy.”</p><p>After flicking Olivia on the head, June turned to the phone and exclaimed, “Happy birthday, American Stranger number two! You’re once again reminded of how you’re a year closer to the inevitable day where your soul exits your carcass.” She winked. “Have fun!”</p><p>James snorted, but didn’t get to say anything back. “James!” yelled someone in the background. “Why do you have my phone?” It was Adam, of course.</p><p>“Liv called. No other reason.”</p><p>The friends continued to chat amiably as Olivia cooked. James and Adam joined Jaiden and some other people Olivia didn’t recognise in a video game. June was introduced once again, and she endearingly gave Jaiden the title of American Stranger number three. Soon, June and Olivia ended up at the dining table with two sandwiches and cups of milk, watching their friends play Mario Maker with friends and family. Olivia was confused a lot, and she couldn’t join in on the banter because of it, but it was fun and made her heart swell. Two hours later, the party came to an end. Olivia and June had been doing nothing but watching and chatting, being kept entertained by the animators’ antics. The call ended with Adam’s face in the camera, James shouting goodbye and trying to shove his own face into frame, and Jaiden laughing in the background.</p><p>It was great.</p><p>God, Olivia missed them so much.</p><p>She missed <i>Adam</i> so much. </p><p>“That was fun!” June exclaimed after a beat of silence. “So, busking?”</p><p>Olivia nodded, though she was slightly distracted. “Yeah, busking.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>8.30.20; 10:41pm</p><p>i’m. so so so sorry for taking so long, it’s been a bit of a writer's block. there’s just a few things i wanna say here:</p><p>this wasn’t originally going to be chapter 17. i wrote another chapter 17, and realised it doesn’t do much for the plot. so. i could post that as a bonus chapter some time in the future, if you would like? let me know.</p><p>so, school is starting soon. a bummer, really. but that means i won’t have as much time to write, but at the same time, it’s not like i spend every day writing anyways. so, chapters may be a little more sparse, or my updating schedule might not even change one bit. there isn’t much of a schedule anyways, but i hope you get the point.</p><p>this work has been in #1 and #2 in somethingelseyt like, the whole fucking month. Holy shit? I know there isn’t a lot of adam works here, but it’s still a little mind-blowing. thank you so much. </p><p>THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT PLS PAY ATTENTION TO THIS LMAO: i’m looking for a beta. with my shitty writing schedule, the beta would probably get like. a chapter a week tops. i would just like someone to read over the work and give me feedback, maybe catch the occasional mistake. i want your criticism, your opinions, the hard motherfucking cold truth. the beta would (obviously) get to read the chapter beforehand, and of course, get a mention because i would be very grateful for their services. it would be great to have more than one beta, but i’m not overshooting my hope. if you’re interested, just contact me (leave a dm, comment on this chapter, whatever works for you) and give me your email (i’m a google docs girl 😎). i’ll get back to you as soon as i can.</p><p>lastly, this is just a little thank you to chadwick boseman. I’m dedicating this chapter to him- it really isn’t much at all, but i felt like i should do something to honor him. this has been said so many times, but it doesn't make it any less true: chadwick was a true hero who impacted so many lives, black and otherwise, in such a positive way. rest in power, my king.</p>
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